Irish chips are simply delicious, soft and tender on the inside and just slightly crispy on the outside. Their thick cut is perfect for absorbing the bitter-sweet goodness of malt vinegar drizzled on top.
Let's straighten up our terminology here: In Ireland chips are french fries.
A typical American chip is called a crisp, a cookie is a biscuit and a biscuit is a scone. I could go on and on, but that's a topic for another day. It sure can get confusing!!!!
So just so we are straight, we are cooking french fries Irish style today!

Table of Contents
Irish Chips and American French Fries
American french fries are thinner than an Irish chip, which is thinner than an American steak fry.
They are not as crispy on the outside as most American fries and definitely don't receive any extra seasonings - just plain, fried, potato goodness.
Cooking the perfect Irish chip is not as simple as chopping a few spuds and plunging them straight into hot oil. This just doesn't work - by the time the inside of the chip has softened, the outside is just too crispy and burnt.
My secret for cooking the perfect Irish chip is parboiling the potatoes before deep frying them.
Some people insist that double-frying is the key to good french fries, but I'm a big believer in boiling the potatoes first before frying them.

Ingredients for Irish Chips
Here you’ll find a quick list of what you’ll need for this recipe. Check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post for US and Metric equivalent versions of the recipe.
There you can choose the measurement system that works best for you.
- Russet potatoes
- Sea salt
- Canola oil or vegetable oil for deep frying.
I like to use russet potatoes or baking potatoes for this recipe. They are what we call in Ireland, floury potatoes. This means they are not too waxy for making chips.
When in Ireland I love to make chips using maris piper, King Edward, or rooster potatoes. They have a lovely flavor and texture.
Sunflower oil, canola oil or rapeseed oil are good for deep frying chips. Peanut oil works wonderfully too. All of these oils have a high smoke point and can cook the chips at a higher temperature without creating a smoky haze in the kitchen.
Directions for Irish Chips
Here you’ll find step-by-step photographic instructions to help you recreate this recipe successfully. There are plenty of tips included along the way.

Prepare the Potatoes
Peel the potatoes.
Remove any eyes or blemishes you see on the potatoes. French fries or chips are not very appealing with black spots on them.

Here's how I cut them to get the right size. Halve the potato lengthwise, then quarter it lengthwise.
Cut each quarter in half lengthwise, then each eighth size piece in half again. Each potato should yield 16 long chips. Try to create uniform shapes for your chips.
You want relatively thick slices of potatoes. If they're too thin they'll just get too crispy, and lack the floury, tender insides that Irish chips are famous for.
Yikes! That sounds like a crazy math lesson!!! Confused yet????

Here is my pile of chips. Now, recipes for perfect French fries call for soaking the cut potatoes in water for hours before cooking. This reduces the starch.
The next step involves pre-frying the fries in oil at 300 degrees. Later, when ready to serve, the pre-cooked chips are fried once again in super hot oil.
This method involves way too much planning for me. When I want chips I usually don't realize it until an hour or two before dinner, and planning all that pre-soaking just takes too much time for me. I also think cooking in oil at a lower temperature only allows the chip to soak up too much fat.
Parboiling the Chips
My solution is to parboil the sliced potatoes to help remove some starch and to start the cooking process before final immersion in hot oil.

So toss the sliced potatoes into a large saucepan and cover the chips with water. Season with some salt at this stage.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for just 4 minutes.
Don't overcook the chips or they'll fall apart before frying.

Drain the chips into a colander and just let them sit there for 5 to 10 minutes.
They'll steam away, drying out in the process, making them perfect for dipping into hot oil. Less moisture in the potatoes creates succulent chips.
Deep Frying the Chips
Dry fries minimize a crazy, sizzling 'oil meets wet chips' frying reaction.
In addition, I like this steam drying process. It eliminates the need to pat the fries dry with paper towels or dish towels - much less mess.

Pour the oil into a large dutch oven or deep frying pan, bringing the level to a little under half full. Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a thermometer to check the temperature.
You can use a deep fat fryer if you wish with a built in thermometer and temperature regulator. However, for this recipe I cooked my chips the old fashioned way.
When frying with hot oil be very careful. Keep the pot on the back burner so little ones don't get splashed or burned.

Lower the parboiled chips into the hot oil.
Be prepared for the sizzle!

Don't put too many chips into the pan at once or they'll stick together. My dutch oven is big enough to cook two potatoes worth of chips at the same time.
Cook them until they are just turning golden. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how many chips are in the pot together.
Carefully remove them from the oil with a metal strainer, and place them on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up any excess grease.
If you have a fryer basket, you can use it to lower the fries into the oil, and lift them out again.

Serve with burgers, chicken or my favorite - beer battered fish and mushy peas.
Look at those beautiful Irish chips, cut thick with a soft center and a lovely golden, slightly crispy finish.
They are just crying out for a sprinkle of malt vinegar and a little shake of salt. Some may like a little ketchup on the side, but if you're Irish malt vinegar will be your condiment of choice.
Recipe Card for Perfect Irish Chips
Here is the printable recipe card, if you would like to add this recipe to your collection.
Irish Chips or French Fries
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 12 cups canola oil for deep fat frying
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. Halve each potato lengthwise, then quarter it lengthwise. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise, then each eighth size piece in half again. Each potato should yield 16 long chips.
- Add the sliced potatoes into a large saucepan and cover the chips with water. Season with salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for just 4 minutes.
- Drain the chips into a colander and just let them sit there for 5 to 10 minutes to steam dry.
- Pour the oil into a large dutch oven or deep frying pan, bringing the level to a little under half full. Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lower some of the parboiled chips into the hot oil. Don’t put too many chips into the pan at once or they will stick together. Cook in 2 to 3 separate batches.
- Cook them for 8 to 10 minutes until they are just turning golden.
- Carefully remove them from the oil with a metal strainer, and place them on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up any excess grease.
- Serve hot with burgers, chicken or beer battered fish and mushy peas.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Happy chip making!!
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.

Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more recipes and ramblings you might enjoy...
You can check out all by Irish cooking tips on my recipe index page here.
Brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead,
A plate of chips with a bit more than a sprinkling of malt vinegar and salt is one of life's simple pleasures.
They are also one of the few universal eats to keep everyone happy, haven't met a kid yet that'll turn down a nice crispy chip/frie. I enjoy your stories, everyone's perspective is formed by their life experiences, and your unique view on things Irish and American is really entertaining and informative.
Thanks,
Brian
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - My kids love chips and like their Dad they drown them in vinegar. I will have to share my recipe for curry sauce - you know how much Irish people love their chips and curry sauce after a few pints.
Thanks for visiting my site, and for your lovely comments. Your site looks wonderful. I'll check it out in more detail later when I get a few moments to myself later. I am looking forward to your great information about Ireland.
All the best!
Mairead
Sarie
Have you ever decided to share your curry recipe? I'm not Irish, and I've only been to Ireland once for a couple of weeks, but one of my top ten all time favorite foods is curry chips. After not knowing what to order one night I told the waiter to surprise me with something good. He brought me curry chips and I fell in love ... I ordered 5 more times before leaving Ireland. Well, there are no Irish pubs close to where I live, so I would love to try out your recipe!
Irish American Mom
Sarie - I love chips and curry sauce. I'm planning to make colcannon next, since it is a traditional Halloween dish in Ireland, but I will make some chips and curry sauce after that. I have to schedule my cooking when my kids are at school, otherwise cooking and taking photos gets a little hectic around here. I'll make them next week then it will take me a few days to edit my photos and write the post.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my recipes.
Mairead
Janice
I'm in the middle of making these right now! I've been eating them up as I cook the batches. I hope I leave some for the rest of the family. These make a great treat for those days when oven fries just won't do.
I pinned it on Pinterest!
Irish American Mom
Janice - I fully understand how irresistible freshly cooked chips can be. As I cook the batches, I too just can't help myself nibbling as I go. I usually have to cook a whole extra potato to account for all the sneaky fingers in my house. So glad to hear you like this recipe and thank you for sharing it on Pinterest.
Best wishes!
Mairead
Angela
In Ireland we do not par- boil our chips - they go straight into the oil and they will not burn if they are cut to correct size. Crispy outside, perefectly cooked inside. Doused in lashings of vinegar - preferably white vinegar and not that brown watery stuff... a sprinkle of salt - to die for!
Irish American Mom
Angela - My mouth is watering thinking of Irish chips, doused in vinegar just as you describe. In Ireland there is no need to par-boil - the spuds are great for chips. Here in America I had a lot of trouble getting that crispy outside and floury inside. The big difference is the type of potato available. I found that par-boiling russet potatoes was the only way to go here in America, to cook a chip someway close to the chips of my childhood memories. There are no "floury" spuds here in the States.
All the best, and thanks for stopping by.
Mairead
Sue
Thanks Mairead. I could never get my chips done just like they are at home. Seriously...as Angela said, they just go straight into the oil at home. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. Of course it was the potatoes (it couldn't have been me) lol. Thank you for insight...I'm dying to try your recipe!
Sue
Irish American Mom
Hi Sue - I hope my chip making tips sorted out your Irish chip cooking issues. They're not as easy to get right as they look, but par-boiling is a great way to get the inside of the chip just right.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
alice
I know this is really a long time later to be commenting but I'm excited to try this. I have been craving chips with curry sauce something fierce and you cannot get them in Minnesota. I'm just making the curry sauce right now and I'm getting ready to start the chips. I can't wait! Yum! Chips and curry! Woot! Thankyou. 🙂
Irish American Mom
Alice - I love to hear from readers, no matter how long it takes. I keep the comment section open on my blog, so that readers can reply at any time. I hope my curry sauce helped satisfy your cravings for chips and curry. It really is a taste of home I often just have to have, and this recipe does the trick for me.
All the best,
Mairéad
Minty Chip
I have trouble with cutting these and I can semi figure out my problem but I can't completely figure out what is wrong. My fries are more like steak fries if that makes sense. Could you elaborate on the cuts? Also, I love this website, made these and the chicken goujons twice and they are just so delicious!
Irish American Mom
Thanks so much for checking out my recipes. Your fries will be closer to steak fries than French fries, if you cut them the way I do. When we make chips in Ireland they are much thicker than a regular fry. Hope this helps and I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed my chicken goujons recipe too.
Take care,
Mairéad
deborah
Thank you for this recipe, can't wait for the curry recipe! It'seems hard to find an "Irish" curry sauce here in New Jersey and I was playing around with the idea of having curry chips as a fun starter at my upcoming nuptials.
Irish American Mom
Deborah - Chips and curry sauce would truly be a fun starter for your wedding reception. If you have any Irish guests they would absolutely love it. Thanks for your feedback on my recipe and wishing you every happiness for the future. Have a wonderful day, and enjoy every moment.
Mairéad
Jay
Canola oil for frying? CANOLA? Russet potatoes?
This is an abomination haha. Chips should be cooked in beef dripping (it gets hotter and gives incredible crispiness and flavour) potato should be maris piper.
All smothered in malt vinegar and salt.
You have made me want chips.....im off to the chippy 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Jay - Beef drippings - now you're talking really over-the-top amazing chips, but I'm afraid having a pan of beef drippings at the ready is far from realistic in my American or Irish kitchen. I hope you enjoyed your chips from the chippy.
All the best,
Mairéad
Warren fox
Hi sorry was reading your chip recipe, and noticed the part about boiling. Most decent chip shops generally 3 stage fry their chips.
Irish American Mom
Hi Warren - thanks so much for letting us know that most chip shops have a 3-stage frying process for chips - that's what makes them so delicious. When making chips at home I simply par-boil the sliced potatoes to start the cooking process. That's my little kitchen tip for simplifying the chip cooking process at home, but I suppose true chip enthusiasts would definitely not approve of this kitchen hack.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
babra
Thanks for this recipe. I will give it a try.
Irish American Mom
Hope you enjoy these chips. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Mairéad
Paul Southern
As a Geordie, and we love our fish and chips, those chips were lush and I will be trying your beer batter and sharing this on facebook x
Irish American Mom
Thanks Paul - good to hear you give these chips your two thumbs up, and as a Geordie you know good chips.
All the best,
Mairéad
Tommy
I'm Irish.. NEVER NEVER use russets to make these. You should use Yukon Gold or any flowery yellow potato.
Irish American Mom
Hi Tommy - Thanks for your tip on potato choice. I like floury potatoes too. I find Yukon Golds are never as floury as I like, but it is hard to find a floury potato in America like we can in Ireland.
Take care,
Mairéad
Alexeis
Can Irish potatoes be fried without peeling off their skins?
Anytime I think about making fries, the turn off part is the peeling of the skin. I find it time-consuming.
Irish American Mom
Hi Alexieis - You can definitely make fries with the skins on. In Ireland we always peel the potatoes before making chips or fries, but here is no reason why you can't leave the skins on. In fact the skins may even make your fries a little more nutritious - even if they aren't quite 'healthy' food.
All the best,
Mairéad
Brian
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33675975 worth reading this BBC article about which oils to use
Irish American Mom
Thanks for this informative link.
All the best,
Mairéad
Mr Kane Jarrett
They're not "Irish chips" they're just chips, and you're not "Irish-American", you're just American.
Irish American Mom
Having been born in Ireland I will always be Irish, but being a naturalized American citizen I am now blessed to be able to call myself American too. So I do not see myself as just American since I am a dual citizen of Ireland and America. Thanks for offering your opinion.
All the best,
Mairéad
Benny
Loved in our house
Irish American Mom
Hi Benny - Fish and chips are always a hit in our house. Thanks for checking out this recipe.
All the best,
Mairéad
Delights
Glad to find this. Totally loved in my family too. Totally believe in parboiling and adding a bit of garlic flavour to the chips. Check out this link on youtube and comment. https://youtu.be/PDQYUO9Zzd8
Irish American Mom
Glad to hear you too parboil your chips.
All the best,
Mairéad
Ren
Love this recipe!! It's always my go to!
Irish American Mom
Hi Ren - I'm delighted to hear that this recipe gets your two thumbs up. Par boiling the potato chips is the key to success.
All the best,
Mairéad