Straw potatoes or matchstick potatoes are a delicious, crispy side dish; they cook in minutes and just need a good whack of salt and pepper.

These delicious crispy potato bites are not just for dinner either, they make a corking movie night snack too, just add your favourite dip!

Overhead straw or matchstick potatoes served in a bowl with tomato ketchup.

Crispy Fried Matchstick Potato Chips

Given that my website is named after the Hungarian colloquial word for potatoes... yes, my site is called spud, it should be no surprise that I have a few potato recipes knocking around.

Whether it is fancy fondant potatoes, Parmentier potatoes or Indian influenced aloo methi, I cook with them a lot!

But as a Brit, there is a special place in my foodie heart for frying spuds!

These crispy straw potato chips, which are also known as matchstick potatoes, join other favourites like proper chip shop chips and crispy fried potatoes.

These are super quick to cook, and they are gloriously crispy, and they are just as good as a side as they are as a snack.

Straw or matchstick potatoes served with mushroom stroganoff.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of potatoes should I use?

Because we are soaking them, it does not make a huge amount of difference. However, you should make sure that you use a large single potato rather than lots of little potatoes.

Do I have to soak the potatoes?

For me, yes! Soaking them removes lots of the starch, which means super crisp potatoes really quickly, and it also stops them from clumping together.

Do I have to use a mandolin?

No, but it will make your life an awful lot easier! I have a mandolin that will cut the potatoes into an even 2mm matchstick, which is ideal.

If yours only cuts strips, slice the potatoes into a 2mm "wafer", then hand slice them into matchsticks.

If you are cutting by hand, it is important to ensure that you cut the potatoes evenly in order for them to cook evenly.

Can I use other seasonings?

Oh gosh, yes. Go wild and crazy and match the seasoning with whatever you are serving them with!

Think garam masala, cajun seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning, celery salt, the world really is your oyster, knock yourself out!

Can I make these in advance?

I would not fry these in advance, they are not great cold and do not reheat very well. But you can soak the potatoes for up to 8 hours.

Over head pan fried Barnsley chop with port lamb sauce, straw potatoes and minted peas.

Serving Suggestions

As I have mentioned above, these straw potatoes make for a wonderful snack. But for me, they come alive as a side dish!

I have them pictured above with my vegan mushroom stroganoff and a pan-fried lamb Barnsley chop.

Fried potatoes work so well with any stroganoff, and I regularly serve these with both my beef stroganoff and pork stroganoff. For the same reason, they are also superb with chicken a la king.

They are great finger food, and as a result, they sit wonderfully with burgers. You could sprinkle a bit of jerk seasoning on them and serve them with my jerk chicken burger, or some Thai flavourings and serve them with my fantastic fish burger!

I'm really fond of sprinkling these with toasted garam masala and serving them with my salmon tikka, or a sprinkle of smoked paprika and serving them with my bourdeto recipe.

Or simply drop them on the side of a plate with perfectly cooked rump steak and some mushrooms, surf and turf, carbonnade Flamande or even a bacon chop!

Close up crispy fried straw or matchstick potatoes.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

Hob/Stovetop.
A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
Chopping board.
Kitchen knife.
Mandolin, this is optional and replaces the two items above. It is the best way to get perfect potatoes. If your mandolin does not come with a guard, buy a safety glove!
Tea towel and or kitchen paper.
Deep fat fryer or a high-sided 30cm or 12" frying pan.
Slotted spoon.

Crispy fried straw or matchstick potatoes served with tomato ketchup.

Straw Potatoes Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Crispy fried straw potatoes, aka matchstick potatoes, whether you have them as a snack or a side, these simple spuds will become a firm favourite.

Side Dish

European

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Soaking Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings Servings

Calories 350kcal

Author Brian Jones

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Ingredients

300 g Potatoes ∼2 Cups
½-⅔ teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cooking Oil for Frying

Instructions

Peel the potatoes and then slice them into thin matchstick shapes. If you have a mandolin, this is easy and takes minutes, but please ensure that you use the guard!
Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl of cold water and allow them to soak for 20 minutes.
If you are using a deep fat fryer, heat the oil to 170°C or 340°F. If you are using a high-sided frying pan, heat 1cm of oil to 170°C or 340°F, but ensure your frying pan is slab-sided and at least 3-4cm deep.
Before you fry, dry the potatoes thoroughly on a clean tea towel.
If you are using a deep-fat fryer, you can fry this amount of potatoes in one go, and they should be cooked until crisp and golden, which will take 4-5 minutes. If you are frying in a pan, then you will need to cook in two batches.
Use a slotted spoon to turn over the potatoes in a frying pan every minute or so; again, they will take 4-5 minutes to cook.
Remove the potatoes and place them on kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. Season them with salt and pepper immediately.