Belgian fries are served with a mayo sauce called “Andalouse” that is best characterized as somewhat resembling Thousand Island dressing. Belgian fries are fried twice for a soft middle and crisp outside. The sauce also works well as a veggie or chip dip. We use so much of it that I double it. My husband’s family is Flemish, specifically from Belgium. I’ve been informed that Flemish is a sign of excellence. The time and work put into making this snack were worth it! Use firm, fresh potatoes because this is all about quality. Before serving, let the sauce come to room temperature.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 4 cups olive oil for frying, or as needed
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Stir mayonnaise, tomato paste, red onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, lemon juice, and salt together in a bowl. Cover the Andalouse sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Submerge potato strips in a bowl of ice water; rinse potatoes in several changes of cold water until water in the bowl is clear. Drain potatoes and pat dry.
- Working in batches, fry potatoes in the hot oil until just cooked through but still white, about 5 minutes. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Bring oil back to temperature between batches. Cool potatoes to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Increase oil temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Working in batches, fry the potatoes again until deep golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Season fries with salt and serve with Andalouse sauce.
- Prepare the sauce the night before, as it takes time for the flavors to meld. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
- The fries can be cut and rinsed (Step 3) hours ahead of time and left in a bowl of cold water for use later in the day. Once the fries have been fried the first time (Step 4), they can sit for an hour at room temperature. This works well when trying to time dinner preparations.
- If your fryer doesn’t have a temperature control, be sure to use a thermometer. Small batches are key — this allows the oil to keep a more even temperature.
- You can prepare the fries in a frying pan, just be sure to turn the potatoes and test the oil temperature.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 579 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 322 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 44 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Heel lekker. It’s wonderful
Good recipe but nothing Flemish about these fries. They are just that, Belgian Fries whether from the Flanders, Brussels or Wallonia!!!
Don’t be afraid to try making this with authentic French mayonnaise versus the bland American stuff. I did and it was extra delicious! I always make my French mayonnaise based off the “French Cooking Academy” channel on YouTube.
I use to live in Belgium and this was used even as a main dish at times with some wine of course. I have been so desperate and almost purchased a jar of andalose off the Begium Shop to just get some of these. This sauce is truly one of a kind and if this recipe taste just like their original sauce I will be making it all the time. I miss their fries as well and the beer Kriek which maybe your husband can tell you how to make that beer. It is also a belgium beer and they use real cherry’s in the beer. I think I may need to order that online cause brewing probably is a bit hard. I can’t wait to make this sauce tonight. Thank you for the receip.
I’ve always wanted to make Belgian fries ever since I lived near Namur, and often visited Antwerp, in 1986. I stayed with an old retired pair who showed me their way of making fries – double dipping and flavoring the oil with garlic. This holiday I received a T-Fal deep fryer and decided to give this recipe a go and try it on my kids and invited company. Remembering to flavor vegetable oil with some garlic cloves, this recipe hit the spot! The results were delicious, especially the sauce. [Note: used veg. oil, not olive oil; my prep time was about 4 hours, and the sauce was fine].
We made baked potato wedges instead of frying, but I made the dip exactly as written, and it was delicious! It had only been in the fridge for a few hours, but the flavor was still great! I’m sure it’ll be even better tomorrow. My husband loved it too and I’m sure we’ll be making it again, as it’s easy and tasty.
OMG – so good! A little bit of work, but totally worth it. I made the sauce in the morning, and let the flavors blend until dinner time. It is delicious! Even my husband commented on how good the sauce was, and he HATES creamy sauces. The only change I made was to fry in mixture of vegetable and corn oil, to use up what I had on hand. Fabulous recipe – thanks for sharing!
My Maman was from Belgium & taught me to make fries this way. Only difference, she used peanut oil because it is lighter tasting & you can crisp better & quicker because you can fry with peanut oil at a higher temperature. Peanuts originally come from India and peanut oil (a mono-saturate & therefore healthy) is the oil of choice for woks & other frying & sautéing in Asia & Belgium & France (don’t know about other countries). My Maman always used Planters as some of the off-brands can small/taste rancid. While living in the South, I found the LouAna brand to be just as good. My Maman used peanut oil to make her own mayo, salad dressings & anything else that calls for veggie oil. In Belgium you can buy paper cones of Frites from stands on the street like you can get hot dogs in NYC. You have your choice of several sauces — myself, I preferred Piccalillie so here at home, I usually use French’s yellow mustard.