National Chip Week might just be our favourite idea for a themed week ever. But what's best to pair with your potatoes?
While it can be tricky to decide what sides should come with a particular main, chips, glorious chips, salted, doused in vinegar, then slathered in sauce, are a meal in their own right. But if you’re after something larger, what should accompany them?
A proper partner
“Fish” was likely the first word to enter most people's heads when posed with that question. Though I’m not going to disagree, there’s more to the world of chips than that. Sausages are a second chippy favourite, and there are various other foods that you could pair your portion with: pies, fishcakes and burgers spring to mind.
In terms of sauces, a Lovefood poll last year found that a clear majority thought tomato ketchup was the best sauce to accompany chips, followed by mayonnaise and curry sauce. However, as keen-eyed readers pointed out, the poll lacked a ‘gravy’ option, which in my humble opinion is far superior to any of the above.
What else goes well with chips?
It could be fairly argued that in those chippy examples above, chips are the side, not the main. I’d like to think they take an equal stand with their fishy brethren, as you could eat a portion on their own and still find an inordinate amount of satisfaction.
I think this jerk roast chicken recipe is a wonderful partner to chips, spicy or otherwise, and eschewing a traditional white-fleshed potato in favour of sweet potatoes, parsnips, or pumpkin, can work a treat too.
One of my favourite things to eat with chips is chilli con carne (we've got a recipe from none other than Heston Blumenthal here on lovefood). It’s not hugely traditional, but definitely not unheard of either. Thick chips soak up the flavours of the chilli, and you can run your last few chips around the plate with a fork, bulldozing the last smears of spicy sauce and meat together. Washing up is a minimal effort after that…
Poutine is another interesting one. Northerners will no doubt like the gravy pooled on top of the freshly cooked chips, but this Canadian delicacy also comes with cheese curds, making it a cousin of the British late-night favourite: cheesy chips.
Which potatoes make the best chips?
A contentious issue. Though floury potatoes are infinitely preferable over waxy (feel free to argue the point in the Comments below if you disagree), there are many varieties of floury potatoes. King Edward and the all-rounder Maris Piper are the two that are the easiest to get hold of, but the red-skinned Désirée shouldn’t be forgotten.
There are also the Rooster, Yukon Gold and Kerr’s Pink varieties among many others. This handy resource identifies which potatoes are preferable for which method(s) of cooking, and as you’ll see, there are a lot to choose from!
All this, without even starting the skin-on, skin-off argument.
What’s your favourite accompaniment to chips? And if your favourite is something common, what’s the best lesser-known partner? And what potatoes are best to use? Let us know in the Comments below.
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