Making your own fries is as important as making your own burgers: everything tastes better homemade. Now unless you have a deep-fryer, these are going to be on the “rustic” side. I personally like them better that way — you get variation in the color and texture throughout each fry that makes it a much more intimate fry-consuming experience than eating totally uniform ones.

Patience and dry potatoes are the keys here: if your potatoes aren’t completely dry they’ll sputter in the oil, making a mess out of your stovetop and creating uneven temperatures in the pot. Hence, the nifty trick with the dishtowel.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A large, deep pot
• 2-3 potatoes per batch of fries
• One or two clean dishtowels
• A sturdy wooden spoon with a long handle
• Enough peanut oil to cover potatoes by 3 inches
• Coarse salt for sprinkling