Cooked in beef talliw back then.Here's how old I am. In the late 1950s I recall bellying up at a McDonald's window and receiving a package of their fries. So, so much better - long fries as though 6-8 inch potatoes were somehow sliced into long narrow strips. At the end of each fry was a small square of potato skin.
Potatoes, sliced as they should be, dropped into deep fat fryers. So frick-n good! Since then, the restaurant has not come close in reproducing such a savory taste. I'm guessing that's for the good.