The Unexpected Tangy Marinade For A Next-Level Batch Of Homemade Fries

Making homemade french fries can be an eye-opener, showing your own fries can be even better than the ones from a restaurant or your favorite fast food place. It also lets you experiment with ingredients and techniques to amp up their flavor, like marinating them in an unexpected liquid: pickle juice. Food Republic spoke to chef and product developer Vivian Villa about how to use the tangy surprise element to boost fries.

Villa detailed the process and science behind it, explaining, "Potatoes contain a carb that is not easily broken down in an acid (vinegar, pickle, lemon juice) and actually firms up rather than softens ... a quick parboil in salted water prior to the pickle marinade breaks down those carbs[,] allowing the pickle flavor to penetrate." She advised marinating the fry-cut potatoes from 30 minutes to overnight after parboiling, which "will allow pickle tang to be absorbed into the potato."

Villa also had tips to help ensure the fries cook up crispy when marinated with pickle juice (or other acids) saying, "rinsing sliced potatoes in water (to remove excess starch) then an acid bath ... will do the trick (remember to pat dry well before adding to hot oil to avoid spattering)." She added, "For extra crispy potatoes, lightly dusting fries in cornstarch while you're waiting for the oil to heat will produce the crispiest tasting fries." Using vegetable oil is the best choice to make french fries, or they could also be oven-baked or cooked in an air fryer.

You can enjoy these deliciously crisp and tangy fries just as they are, but you could also enhance and complement their dill pickle taste with toppings and dipping sauces. Try sprinkling lemon or lime zest, feta cheese or shredded parmesan, or chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or dill on the fries. You could also get extra dill flavor by shaking on some pickle salt. Villa shared how to make it: "Puree contents of pickle jar (everything including seasoning) till smooth, add desired amount of salt[,] spread thinly on baking sheet and dehydrate ... till water has completely evaporated." She directed doing this in a 275-degree Fahrenheit oven from eight hours to overnight, and then pulsing the salt in a blender to the coarseness you prefer.

Dip the fries in ketchup with a punch of heat from hot sauce or sriracha, mixed with ranch dressing, or blended with mayonnaise and pickle relish. You could also stir mustard and mayo together with spices, make a yogurt dill dip, or use tartar sauce or Thousand Island dressing, which both contain chopped pickles.

Try making the marinade with different types of pickles like kosher dills (made with both dill and garlic) or sweet varieties like bread-and-butter pickles. You can even use pickled peppers for a spicy twist, like pickled jalapeños or banana peppers. Adjust toppings and sauces to pair with your marinated fries to your taste –– the possibilities are practically endless. Remember that there are other ways to use leftover pickle juice to crank up flavor, like using it for better fried chicken or to give salad dressing a briny kick too.