French-Fried Potatoes

THE FRENCH are famous for their fried potatoes. Most Americans probably know only plain pommes frites, which are like skinny American French fries. But the French have a whole range of fried potatoes, each with a different shape, size, and name: chips, julienne, pailles (straws), allumettes (matchsticks), Pont-Neuf (thick-cut), gaufrettes (waffled), and soufflées (puffed).

The general method for deep-frying potatoes below is followed by spec