Home Fries with Cheese Curds
It doesn’t get more Midwestern than cheese curds. Here Virant pairs them with crispy fried potatoes. You can also substitute sweet potatoes or winter squash. Read more about Paul Virant and his restaurants in Relish the Season.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baking potatoes such as russets
- Vegetable oil
- Peanut oil for frying
- 8 ounces cheese curds preferably from Wisconsin
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and lightly coat them with vegetable oil. Bake until just cooked through.
- Cool the potatoes, and quarter them lengthwise. Cut each quarter into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. In a deep fryer or sauce pot filled with peanut oil, heat the oil to 360°F.
- Deep-fry the potatoes until browned and crisp. While they’re cooking, warm the cheese curds on a baking sheet in the oven. When the potatoes are done, toss them with the curds, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Laurel Miller
Laurel is a contributing editor at culture and a food and travel writer based in Austin, Texas. She also serves as editor at Edible Aspen.
