Yes, do not let the title deceive you. Heinz were in the news for launching something called ‘Heinz Spoon Friez’ – spoon shaped spoons designed to help obtain the perfect quantity of ketchup portion, I could not get hold of any and never saw them available on any shelves, so decided to try and make my own and have a bit of fun along the way!
Homemade Heinz Spoon Friez / French Fry Spoons
Ok, so first thing to do is get your potatoes peeled and washed, quarter them so they boil quicker. Add to a saucepan, bring up to a simmer and bubble away on a steady simmer for approx 20 mins or until the potatoes are softened – check with a table knife if you like, if it goes through easily, they are ready, if not keep going and check every few minutes. We want this super smooth and spreadable, mash the potatoes in a large bowl until smooth, by adding butter and milk it gives it a bit more flexibility and flavour, also optionally season the potatoes with salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.
Spread the smooth mash into your mould of choice, obviously for spoons you’ll need a silicone spoon mould. Spread it in and really press it into the mould levelling off and if you want using a little dab of water to spread and smooth the tops, tidy up the mould, removing any excess potato and place in the freezer for a good 90 minutes to firm up. You can play around with other moulds like I did if you wish.
Pre-heat an oven to 160fan/180c or equivalent and place the spoon fries onto a lined baking tray straight from the freezer. Bake them so that they just get a skin on them, no colour ideally, you’ll notice the skin though as it’l look a little firmer, this will help lock the fluffy potatoes in place inside when frying.
Once they have a skin on – approx 6-8 mins or so, carefully remove from the oven and leave to room temperature. Warm some oil in a fryer to 200c, if you are not frying immediately place the cooked spoons in the fridge to chill. When the oil is warm enough, in small batches fry the potatoes until golden brown all over! Place on kitchen towel and allow to cool slightly, before serving scooping up tomato ketchup or your sauce of choice!