French Fries

1. peel and rinse the potatoes, then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks
2. place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water; allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours
3. when you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels; blot with paper towels to dry them
4. heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F, in 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch; they should not be brown at this point
5. once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F; when the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again
6. sprinkle with sea salt