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Psilakis, Freitag Simultaneously Reinvent Vinegar-Flavored French Fries

The Harrison's duck-fat fries — and malt-vinegar mayo.
The Harrison’s duck-fat fries — and malt-vinegar mayo.


One of the unqualified successes at Mia Dona has been the salt-and-vinegar French fries, a preparation chef Michael Psilakis is inordinately proud of. “I love that vinegar-fry flavor profile, but I wanted to have it without getting them soggy, which is what I’ve been able to do by pickling them,” he says. But now the chef has a challenger for vinegar-fry supremacy. While Mia Dona’s fries have a tart sourness built into them, Amanda Freitag’s duck-fat numbers down a the Harrison come with a malt-vinegar mayonnaise that is even more pronounced in its vinegar flavor. “The fries are so rich from the duck fat that they need that malt vinegar tang to cut them,” Freitag says. “But since the mayo is just a dip, they keep their crispiness that way.” The result is two totally different ways of giving French fries a vinegary sourness without sacrificing that all-important crispiness. But who wins in the battle for vinegar-fry supremacy? Everybody.

Psilakis, Freitag Simultaneously Reinvent Vinegar-Flavored French Fries