Terminological fried potato question

[muckefuck]

Before the play, we had pub grub at John Barleycorn. It was their "all you can eat" (yes, we pretty much exhausted the jokes on that) fish fry night (why Wednesday?) and two of our party went for it. What I found amusing is that welcomerain's "fish 'n' chips" was actually fish and crisps. What I found even more amusing is that one of the waiters called these "cottage fries", causing me to wonder if this isn't one of the slipperiest culinary terms ever.

What do you understand by the term "cottage fries"? And is it different from "home fries"?

Comments

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Cottage fries are home fries that are more likely to have the potato peel still on 'em. Anyone who uses "cottage fries" to refer to a potato chip, ruffled or otherwise, should be sternly reprimanded for sucking.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Nooooo!

Oh, maybe cottage fries are also more likely to be crinkly like that. But not potato chips!

[lhn.livejournal.com]

I think to me cottage fries are french fries that are round and crinkled (so shaped like a potato chip viewed face on, but not otherwise chip-like). Home fries are potatoes cut into small bits (much smaller than typical french fries) and fried, maybe mixed with onions, possibly eaten with a fork.

[teapot-farm.livejournal.com]

"fish 'n' chips" was actually fish and crisps

Bwahaha! Your Brit themed restaurants are sooo bizarre!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

At least they gave everyone malt vinegar without having to be asked!

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I think of cottage fries as ... oh, never mind. I'm thinking of waffle fries.

Regardless, ick.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I think of, too! (Though I know they're more properly called "cross-cut fries".)

[lhn.livejournal.com]

Do other people have a term for flat, roughly circular fries, then? In SE Michigan, they tended to be associated with barbecue places if memory serves. I don't know that I've encountered them in Chicago. Or are those either geographically restricted, or just a possible shape for French fries?

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

My mother called those "fried potatoes."

She's no culinary genius, however. See my paper, "Cheese and Ketchup on White Bread: Food as Child Abuse," J Intolerable Cruelty 2001;197:4--10.