Chef behind world’s best chips reveals surprising secret to perfect spuds

A chef has revealed the secret to the “world’s best chips” after picking up a prestigious award.

Alexandre Laigo, 28, was crowned global chip master at the second annual French Fries World Championships in Arras, winning the coveted “most authentic chips” category. More than 50,000 people descended onto the city for the competition.

The chef, who co-owns Badem Concept Tartare restaurant in Angers, won the prize with his chips cooking in beef fat. And when asked what the secret to his award-winning chip was, he revealed it was his humble choice in potato, reports The Telegraph.

Alexandre uses the Agata potato, which he says is commonly found in France. “Honestly, we took the simplest potato, Agata, which you find in all supermarkets,” he told French news broadcaster TF1.

A waxy potato, the Agata has a thin, pale yellow skin. The Dutch variety can be found in the UK in gourmet stores or keen foodies can grow their own from seeds that are more widely available in UK stores.

However, other waxy varieties of spud are more common in the UK, with King Edwards and Maris Pipers often favoured by Brits. A 2kg bag of Maris Pipers can cost as little as 73p in supermarkets.

Having won at the Fries World Championships, Alexandre can expect to see a spike in interest in his restaurant. Last year’s winner Aurèle Mestré from Lille said custom doubled after the win.

The competition was launched in Arras after the Hauts-de-France was named the European Region of Gastronomy. It was said to be a tribute to Charles de L’Écluse, a French botanist who is said to have brought the potato to Europe.

Around 40 teams from across the continent battled it out in a variety of categories including creative fries, international chips, and sauce of the year. They had 90 minutes to complete their dishes.

The creative categories saw chefs poaching potatoes in red wine before cooking them in duck fat and even turning them into ice-cream-based desserts.