Salt and Pepper Chips

Method

1. Cut 250 g of peeled Maris Piper potatoes into chips about 1 cm thick. Rinse under cold water until it runs clear to wash off surface starch, then tip into a pan of cold salted water.
2. Bring the pan to a gentle simmer and cook the chips for 4 minutes, until the edges are just yielding but the chips still hold their shape. Drain carefully and spread on a tray lined with kitchen paper for 10 minutes to steam dry — any surface water will spit in the oil and stop them crisping.
3. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan no more than a third full and heat to 150C. Lower the chips in with a spider, in one layer, and fry for 5 minutes without colouring, until a pale crust forms. Lift out onto the tray and let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
4. While they rest, crush 0.5 tsp of sea salt flakes and stir together with 0.5 tsp of ground white pepper, 0.25 tsp of Chinese five-spice, 0.25 tsp of dried chilli flakes and 0.25 tsp of caster sugar in a small bowl. Have 0.5 small of diced onion, 1 sliced red chilli, 1 clove of chopped garlic and 2 sliced spring onions ready by the hob — the stir-fry moves fast.