Copycat Chick-Fil-A Waffle Potato Fries Recipe

You go to Chick-fil-A for the chicken, obviously, but those famous Waffle Potato Fries sure don't hurt. Big and tasty and delightfully unique in shape, it's no surprise the Waffle Potato Fries have something of a cult following, given the thousands of likes and posts about said fries on social media platforms like Twitter. But what's to be done if you find yourself craving Chick-fil-A fries on a Sunday, when the chain is closed? Or if you just don't feel like heading out the door and waiting in one of the fast food chain's ubiquitous massive drive-thru lines to get your waffle cut fry fix?

Why, you just follow this Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries copycat recipe and make a batch of their famed fries at home, of course! Chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge says, "These look complicated but they are definitely very, very easy — it's all in the cutting technique." So let's gather together our ingredients and the proper cutting tools ("You need to have a mandoline slicer or a potato cutter," says Olayinka) and make some fries!

Just don't make yourself a serving larger than you'd get when ordering the real thing, as, according to Chick-fil-A's website, their fries pack 420 calories and 24 grams of fat into a medium-sized serving.

It's probably little surprise here that this recipe calls for very few ingredients. In fact, frankly speaking, all you need are some potatoes and some oil in which to fry them once sliced. But fries without salt and ketchup are like paintings without frames: they're just missing something.

So make sure you gather together some large baking potatoes, plenty of vegetable oil, some sea salt, and some classic tomato ketchup. If you want to add in some other sauces for your fries, like mustard, mayo, ranch, or whatnot, then that's fine too: there are a lot of great ways to enjoy these fries, and there's no menu to limit your options in your home kitchen.

Success here (or failure, but that's not going to happen) all comes down to the proper cutting of the potatoes. Olayinka says: "Mistakes to avoid here? Do not cut them too thin. Also, do not cut them too thick! Just make sure to cut the potatoes evenly so they all cook the same."

To create those perfect, perforated waffle slices, first use a waffle cutter or mandoline slicer to cut the potatoes into thick, waffle-textured slices, keeping the skin on the potato and slicing vertically down the length of the tuber.

Now turn the cut potato horizontally and slice down perpendicular to the first cut. The sliced potato should now be in the shape of a waffle.

Put the cut potato slices in ice cold water for 20 to 30 minutes to release some of the starch from the potato — this will make the fries crunchier and more satisfying when they're done. Once that time has passed, drain the potatoes and let them drip dry on a wire rack or paper towels as you the pour oil into a pot and put it on the stove at a medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot (above 350 degrees Fahrenheit), place batches of potatoes in the pot, basing batch size on pot size — do not crowd the pot with potato slices. Cook the fries for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are lightly browned on much of the surface.

Now carefully remove the cooked fries and rest them on a rack or on paper towels to take off the excess oil.

You did it! You cut those fries with love and care, you waited while they soaked in cold water, and you fried them to perfection. Now sprinkle the hot fries with that sea salt, and then it's time to dig in.

"These can be paired with any burger," says Olayinka, or of course with any chicken sandwich. Or with fish. Or a hot dog. Or a veggie wrap or whatever sounds great. Just plan to eat them all up for best taste. "[Fries are] best eaten fresh," says the chef, "but you could crisp them up again by putting them in the oven."