It has come to my attention recently, that the majority of the world doesn’t know what a piccadilly chip is. Yeah. Crazy, I know. If you are from/have ever visited Sanpete county, Utah, then your jaw is probably on the floor right now. I guess sometimes you take the good things in life for granted!
Sanpete is a small county located in the heart of Utah. {No, literally, the center of Utah is really in Sanpete county.} It houses a handful of towns ranging from Chester, where we see if we can hold our breath through the entire town {known as the ‘Chester Challenge’} to Ephraim, the largest town with a whopping population of 6,000 peeps. {Which is where I happened to grow up.} The two biggest things that Sanpete is known for are:
1. Snow College. {What a blessed place.} and
2. The Norbest turkey plant.
You know you’re in Sanpete when you can smell that wonderful aroma of turkey poop coming from all the turkey farms. Makes your eyes water some days. We won’t get into that a whole lot right now though. The reason I bring all of this up, is every year there’s a ‘Scandinavian Days’ celebration in Ephraim where a bunch of peeps line the roads with booths of random knick knacks, jewelry/art, and food. Lots and lots of food. My favorite food booth is the infamous turkey/piccadilly booth. Best turkey you will ever have in your life {Check out the famous marinade recipe here!} and my ever so favorite piccadilly chips. So, what is a piccadilly chip?? Zachary teases and says they’re no different than fries, but I have a serious argument to make about that.
Piccadilly Chips
Ingredients:Note: I’m not going to give specific amounts on the ingredients because it really is dependent on how many you are cooking for and how big/small of a pot you are using. If it helps, 2 potatoes were just great for Zachary and me to split.
- Russet potatoes
- Frying oil {Word on the street is, peanut oil works best. We use Canola, so it really is up to you.}
- Salt
Directions:
- Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/2-1 inch cubes.
- Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour enough oil into your pan until it comes up about a third of the way up. {A little less is okay, but more isn’t. This would cause a risk of the oil boiling over.}
- Heat the oil to about 375°F.
- Drain and dry your potatoes, place in a frying basket, and lower them into the oil slowly. {Or if you’re ghetto like us, you can use a metal spoon and place scoops of potatoes into the oil.}
- When the potatoes are covered and the bubbling has slowed down, cover the pan and cook them for about 6 minutes. {This is to cook them – they shouldn’t be brown when you take them out.}
- Now, take the potatoes out of the pan and allow the oil to heat back up to around 390°F.
- Put the potatoes back in the pan and cook until brown. {Around 5-7 minutes.}
- Remove them and place on papers towels to let the excess oil drain. {Pat dry if necessary.}
- Salt generously and serve warm.
There you have it! A little taste of Sanpete right in your own home. If you ever find yourself in the area, promise me that you will try these babies. {Because I know you all make it a point to go on vacation to little farm towns in the middle of nowhere. ;)} I hope you love these just as much as all of us Sanpetians do! If not, I don’t want to hear about it.
Thanks. I grew up in manti and never new how to make these and the turkey is my favorite
I found Piccadilly’s at Warren’s drive inn
This is so great! Sam is going to die! Making these ASAP!
Don’t forget the parade of sheep down one of the main roads! Had a shock when I came out of the Science Building one day to see that! Thanks for the recipe!
I think I need to make a trip to Utah to try these out! I’ve been in the dark all my life 🙂
Just wanted to let you know that I made these with my Sanpete Turkey last night and it was wonderful! Much easier than the other recipe I had on file. I loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah, I am SO excited to try this recipe! Here in St. George we have a Frostop that serves amazing Picadilly chips! I order extra fry sauce and go to town on those babies 😀 I am so happy I know how to make them at home now!
Sarah, I am so excited to try this recipe! Here in St. George we have a Frostop that serves amazing Picadilly chips. I always order extra fry sauce and go to town on those babies!:D I’m so happy I know how to make them at home now!
Go Badgers says a 1968 alumni. This Utah County boy learned to love San Pete. I had 3 roommates from Fairview. Cox, Gordon and Johnson. Let’s get some over to Santa Clara
I’ve never heard of Picadilly chips before (gasp!!!) but now that I have you can bet I’ll be making them. Sounds fantastic!
These look so yummy what is the sauce on the side? Can’t wait to learn more about the turkey!
hi I just saw this! It is best served with tartar sauce
Did you ever post the “be on the look out for a recipe this week” for the turkey? I have made these ‘chips’ a bunch of times, but always called them the “you know, square ones that are like fries but square” – Now I can actually give them a name!
I always thought that they were battered and fried… at least the ones that were produced in the Piccadilly plant on the South end of Mount Pleasant were. Those are the ones I’d love to figure out a recipe for!
Me too! I always ordered them from Rodgers Dairy freeze! My favoiite.
Yes they were battered. I went on many school field trips with my children to the Piccadilly plant. We watched them batter and fry them and always got a little cup of them at the end of the tour.
Just dunk the potatoes in pancake batter before you deep fry them!
yeah, that is the real piccadilly chip. These are an easy version of that. Not quite as good but kinda close.
I grew up in Mt Pleasant and spring city. I take my kids to Rodgers dairy freeze just for Piccadilly’s on occasion. We LOVE them!! BTW my husband asked me how they are different from fries as well….REALLY!?! ????
Thank you!!! I’m 5 months pregnant and craving a taste of college days (and Ephraim, my wanna-be hometown) with some San Pete BBQ turkey and piccadillies! I have a great recipe for the turkey, but was coming up short for piccadillies. Glad to have some guidance from a local!!!
As a Utah native transplanted to Minnesota, I have been asking everyone for a English Chip (that was the going name in Utah county) recipe. I can smell the fryer going right now and have amazing memories of Sanpete county that I am picturing in my mind as I type!
Same!! It’s amazing how much I crave something that is so simple from home. I hope these are what you’ve been looking for!!
This is a good method to make square fries. Piccadilly chips are a batter covered chip. I imagine the same batter for the fish, hence it is typically called Piccadilly fish and chips, is used to coat the chips. I would think you would do the first frying of the potatoes and then coat with the batter and then fry crisp.
I miss the old ones from the Piccadilly factory in Mount Pleasant. Since it closed down they are made at a facility in Idaho and they are not the same. It’s almost as if they are missing a second dip in the batter or something. I am going to have to try this recipe, though. I’m feeling nastalgic.
I’m from Salina or Sevier county. Mom’s Cafe in Salina has the best Piccadilly chips! Dip it in tartar sauce and yummy! I make them all the time. Dip them in seasoned pancake batter then deep fry, delicious!!
I grew up in Beaver, LOVED picadilly chips. Ive told countless people about them and they look at me like im crazy. NOW im going to make some. We always had them with pink sauce (ketchup and mayo)
Thank You Thank You!! I am from St. George but now live in Oklahoma and I sure miss these at Frostop!!!
If we are talking about the Old English (AKA Piccadilly) chips that once accompanied Piccadilly Fish sometime back around the time of the dinosaur, then it was a battered chip. Any fresh potato that has been twice dipped in oil as the above recipe suggests, no matter the shape of the piece of potato is going to be better than any frozen French fry. Soaking to remove extra starches from the potato helps a lot.
Now to be a match to the English chips from Sanpete County they would need to have been peeled enough to remove blemishes, steamed then battered before being deep-fried.
How do I know? Because I worked in the plant that produces them, they basically put me through college.
The good news is that after years of searching I found them! I have around 30 pounds in my freezer at this moment. Alison’s Pantry in Lindon Utah has them. You will have to find a local dealer from their web site. Mine is just a few miles from my house.
Just returned to Phoenix from a trip to Manti UT. I had piccadilly chips every meal, with authentic Utah fry sauce! I miss them both.
Thank you for this! I’ve scoured the internet for picadilly chips and San Pete BBQ turkey and I’m SO happy I found your blog. I met my hubby at Snow College and we have so many great memories there. This brings them all back!
I used to live in Mount pleasant for a minute I am born and raised in Utah originally from Provo I just happened to see your post and that I would say hello!
Don’t forget that Wasatch Academy is in Sanpete County! BTW the best piccadilly chips are in Fairview at T-Cees. I just drove down 89 and sampled them all. Rodgers Dairy Freeze in Mt. P. used to have the best.
I live in the south now, but I’m from Tooele County. I was looking for these English chips. We used to get them from a family restaurant called Dairy Delight in Tooele. Though if I’m not mistaken they were covered with a light batter. But man were they good. Mmmmm
I love these and I grew up in Ephraim right next door to the Malt Shop where I worked at a teenager as well as Charlie’s Drive in. Every time I visit, I have to go get some! I was telling a friend about them today and showed her a picture then saw your site. Love it! Also, when I was making these at the two places mentioned above, we always served them with tartar sauce.
This reminds me of the piccadillies you can get in Sanpete now, and they’re great! But to be honest there’s something missing. When I was growing up they had the Piccadilly factory in Mount Pleasant and I’ve never had a Piccadilly like theirs since they closed down.
They were essentially battered and double-fried crinkle-cut squares of potato.
These are very close and delicious, thanks for sharing.
Hey there Sarah! I was stumbling around looking for one of my childhood fave foods, picadillies, and found your post. Seeing as you went to Snow, I know that you must have some “street cred”. I graduated from North Sanpete and grew up with this wonderful fry sauce companion. I would like to offer up a few data points for you. The original Picadilly, sold all over Utah was produced just south of Mt. Pleasant for as long as I can remember. As an adult, I move away from Sanpete and eventually Utah, and learned in subsequent visits that the company had ceased business operations (I think the owner died). What I know is those “original” picadillies were battered, giving them a unique texture and flavor. Perhaps with a proper English fish batter or tempura batter. To me, everything else is just fried potatoes. 😉 My other comment is that back in my day, people from Sanpete were referred to as “San-peters”. Not nearly as learned a term as Sanpetians, but definitely true to form! Anyway, thanks for posting. I enjoyed the read.
I grew up in Mt Pleasant, and loved the Piccadilly chips at Wheelers. moved to CA, and miss them a lot. thank you for article.
omg thank you!! My parents grew up there. I make the turkey all the time. I have been craving the Piccadilly chips.
The turkey is amazing, too! I miss it all so much.