Begin by peeling and cutting your potatoes into sticks. At home, it is easier to cut them fairly thick (as pictured) but if you have the patience, pencil-thin fries are quite delicious. As you go, immerse the pieces in bowl of cold water so they won't discolor.

Fry your potato sticks first in moderately hot oil (350°F or 180°C), for 3-5 minutes (depending on their thickness) until just tender, then remove them from the oil while you raise the oil temperature to 190C/375°F. Fry the potato sticks again in the hot oil for another 3-5 minutes or so to brown them up nicely.

Make sure to fry your potato pieces in small batches, with plenty of room for the oil to encase each piece and seal it. After each round of frying, pat the potato pieces dry of any excess oil, gingerly so you don't crush them—or burn your fingers on the hot oil—and keep them on a grate in a warm oven while you continue frying the other batches. (The grate lets air circulate around the top and bottom, which helps keep them crisp.)

Once all your potato pieces are nicely fried to a golden brown, sprinkle them generously with salt and serve immediately. If you need to, you can hold them on a grate in a warm oven for a few minutes—but not too long—but if you do, only salt them just before serving or they may go soggy.