How to Make Buttery Chips with Marco Pierre White | Meet your Maestro | BBC Maestro

Ingredients

• Potatoes/Chips (quantity not specified)
• Butter (for finishing; amount not specified)
• Seasoning (salt/seasoning “into the pan”; exact type/amount not specified)

Equipment / Setup

• Fryer (or deep-frying setup) capable of 140°C and 180°C
• Large water basin (for washing)
• Knife / cutting board (to cut chips)
• Timer (for 8 minutes blanching)

Preparation + Method (key timings/temps)

1. Cut and wash (remove starch)

   • Cut the potatoes into chips.
   • Wash to remove the starch (he notes he doesn’t care about “slivers” at the end, and focuses on washing off starch).

2. Drain after washing.

3. First cook: blanch

   • Blanch at 140°C for 8 minutes.
   • Goal: cooked without color.
   • Doneness cue: to the touch, they just dent.
   • Drain after blanching.

4. Second cook: finish/fry

   • The chips keep cooking from their own heat, so before the second fry:
     • Change temperature from 140°C to 180°C.
   • Fry at 180°C to:
     • crispen, and
     • get a tinge of color.
   • Timing note: if chips are thicker, they’ll take longer—feel them to judge.

5. Season

   • Season “into the pan” (i.e., while finishing/after frying).

6. Finish with butter (signature twist)

   • He prefers not “crispy crispy” chips.
   • Add a little butter once they’re cooked/seasoned.
   • He describes this as “butter chips,” an indulgent style.

Tips / Techniques / What to Aim For

• Two-stage cook: Not triple-cooked—twice cooked (blanched then finished).
• Blanch at 140°C specifically to cook without color; the key check is that they dent.
• Second fry at 180°C for crisping plus slight color.
• Thickness matters: thicker chips need more time; use the touch/feel method.
• Texture goal (his preference): chips should steam and “break down” for a softer chip-shop-like result, especially when they start to steam.

Plating / Serving

• Serve as the “perfect chip,” finished with:
  • seasoning
  • a little butter (his preferred finishing method)

Presenter / Source

• Marco Pierre White, BBC Maestro — “How to Make Buttery Chips with Marco Pierre White | Meet your Maestro | BBC Maestro”