Seasoned Potato Wedges with Ketchup

Headnote

These wedges are built for contrast: a crisp, lightly seasoned shell over a soft, steaming interior, with ketchup providing the necessary sweet acidity. The seasoning is restrained, as it should be, so the potato remains the center of the plate. Precision in coating and frying is what gives the dish its character.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Fried potato snack

Cuisine or origin: American fast-food style

Course type: Side dish

Yield: 1 portion

Serving size: 92 g

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 22 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Small saucepan or deep fryer

Mixing bowl

Fine sieve

Slotted spoon or spider

Paper-lined tray

Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

Potato wedges

Potato, peeled and cut into wedges: 60 g

Vegetable oil: 14 g

Wheat flour: 6 g

Cornstarch: 3 g

Salt: 0.7 g

Paprika: 0.5 g

Garlic powder: 0.4 g

Onion powder: 0.4 g

Black pepper: 0.2 g

Leavening: 0.2 g

Ketchup

Ketchup: 6.2 g

Tomato concentrate: 2.8 g

High fructose corn syrup: 0.9 g

Corn syrup: 0.5 g

Distilled vinegar: 0.4 g

Natural flavoring: 0.1 g

Method

1. Prepare the ketchup first. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, tomato concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, distilled vinegar, and natural flavoring. Stir until completely smooth and glossy. Hold at room temperature; the flavor should be sweet, sharp, and concentrated.

2. Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and leavening in a separate bowl. Sift once to distribute the seasoning evenly and prevent clumps.

3. Coat the potato wedges with the seasoned flour mixture, turning until every surface is lightly and evenly covered. Shake off excess; the coating should be thin, dry, and cohesive rather than pasty.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan or fryer to 175°C. Fry the wedges in a single layer for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until the exterior is deep golden and crisp and the interior yields easily to the tip of a knife. Drain immediately on a paper-lined tray.

5. Season lightly with any remaining dry coating clinging to the wedges if needed, then rest for 1 minute. The surface should remain crisp, not greasy, and the potato should be fully tender.

Plating and serving

Arrange the wedges in a compact, slightly overlapping cluster. Serve the ketchup alongside in a small, clean pool or ramekin so the crisp edges remain exposed. The final plate should read as hot, salted potato against a bright, sweet-tart condiment.

Professional notes

The coating must be thin; excess flour dulls the crust and makes the wedges heavy. Maintain frying temperature carefully, or the exterior will color before the potato softens. The ketchup should be stirred until perfectly smooth, with no visible streaks of concentrate.