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THE ULTIMATE CHIP BUTTY?

16th April 2008, 9:59am

The chip butty. One of the most evocative and truly British of comfort foods. Vale's Fresh, the British potato brand supplying exclusively to the foodservice sector, has been conducting some lighthearted research to find out the secret to Britain's best chip butty, with help from food writer and broadcaster Roz Denny. And she's persuaded several gourmet foodies to share their tips and suggestions on how to make the ultimate chip butty.

Vale's Fresh has plenty of expertise and know-how behind it: it's the foodservice brand of Greenvale AP, the UK's leading supplier of fresh potatoes. Greenvale was awarded the Queen's Award for Innovation in 2006 and all Vale's Fresh potatoes are 100% British grown.

So what's the perfect chip butty? Says Roz Denny: "Food writers and chefs have a real soft spot for the humble chip butty. It's one of those things that everyone loves - and everyone has their own way of making it."

Is it a guilty pleasure? "In these health conscious days, when nutritionists are telling us to increase the intake of healthy starchy carbs in our diet, sandwiching hot freshly fried chunky chips between slices of fresh bread can actually make sense - and a little of what you fancy does you good (as part of a balanced diet). If you want something to appeal to the health-conscious chip butty lover, go for wholemeal bread and trade the sauces for a garnish of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

"As for the potato the chip is made from, foodies agree the gourmet choice has got to be Maris Piper." (The Vale's Fresh chips use Maris Piper).

Roz's Ultimate Chip Butty

"The joy is the soft white fresh dough, with a hint of butter and tasty crispness and the melting salty potato inside. Don't use too much ketchup or sauce - you want to taste the lovely spud!"

Choose some good fresh white bread, or try a barmcake, stottie cake or bap. Split and butter lightly. (Opinions differed on the use of butter - some foodies even advocate margarine).
Deep fry fresh chips until golden and crisp.
Pile onto one slice, season lightly with sea salt and sprinkle with malt vinegar or squirt with a little tomato ketchup, brown sauce or mayo.
Sandwich together and serve

The Foodies' Favourite Variations:

Curry Butty - spoon on curry sauce
Egg 'n Chip Butty – top with a fried egg
Euro Star Chip Butty – spread the bread or bap with Dijon mustard and mayo
Mediterranean Chip Butty – split a small crusty baguette, sprinkle with garlic-flavoured olive oil, add golden chips and scatter with capers or chopped olives.
Wholemeal Chip Butty – use a wholemeal bap, sprinkle with olive oil, add lettuce, red onion and tomato, fill with golden chips and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
Moroccan Chip Butty – spread the bread sparingly with hot harissa paste, and some hummous then fill with hot golden chips.
Fish 'n Chip Butty – top the chips with a portion of crisply cooked fish or two fish fingers and mayo or ketchup!

To squash or not?

"This turned out to be a truly divisive question," says Roz. "Of course, some pressure would normally have to be applied to the chip butty. But how much? At one end of the scale there's the 'squash 'em flat'-ers who like to see the sauce oozing out. At the other are those who advocate a gentle massage to ensure the butty is mouth-compatible."

Favourite Sauces - ketchup is king

"Even with foodies ketchup is chip butty king, after straight salt and vinegar," says Roz. "Mayonnaise has its fans, as does brown sauce. Harissa paste is a bit of a one-off. Strangely, tartar sauce didn't feature."

For more information contact Vale's Fresh on 01945 469840.

Greenvale's website is www.greenvale.co.uk

Roz Denny's website is www.cutecook.com

Weblink: www.valesfresh.co.uk