Potato Pom Poms Are The Crispiest Way To Totally Elevate Spuds
There are a lot of things you can do to a potato. You can pulverize them into hearty mashed potatoes or take things a step further by making them into luxurious pommes purée à la or cheesy pommes aligot. They can be any number of fries, from steak to shoestring, curly to waffle. There are also specialty cut fried spuds, including state fair staple tornado fries and hasselback potatoes, which are sliced almost through and fanned out before being fried or baked. Taking the latter idea one step further, potato pom poms created by TikToker @whisperofyum are a snap and deliver arch crispiness in a fun-to-eat package.
Looking not unlike a potato version of a blooming onion, potato pom poms don't require any special ingredients or difficult techniques. Unless you consider chopsticks specialty, though you probably have a pair hiding in your junk drawer at the very least. These serve as a stopper for the knife as you make slices at 1/8 inch slices in both directions nearly through the potato creating a crosshatch. After a saltwater bath, the potato pom poms are dredged in seasoned flour and fried. The result is a potato protruding with deliciously crunchy spikes.
Switch up the seasoning for a wow factor
While the technique should always be the same when you're making the cuts in the potatoes and frying them, when it comes to how you season your spuds there are plenty of options. For flavors that are reminiscent of classic seasoned curly fries, add cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and pepper to your flour. A little cayenne can take that kick even further if you're a bit of a heat seeker. Or keep it simple with just a bit of black pepper and onion powder. Thankfully, this is an easy recipe to put your stamp on, so feel free to add whatever spice or herbs you think would pair well with the potato pom poms.
If you're short on time and have this appliance at home, potato pom poms can also be made in an air fryer. The technique is much the same with the potatoes being cut through before being given the seasoned flour treatment. Set the air fryer to around 350 degrees Fahrenheit and for about 15 to 18 minutes. While the result will likely lack some of the wow factor of deep-fried potato pom poms, the crunch will definitely still satisfy.