after putting together my first attempt ingredients I did search for a recipe, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything major. (I hadn't, it's super straightforward at that end, just takes practice to get the balance right!) the proper name of the dish is 酸辣土豆丝, suān là tǔdòu sī, "spicy and sour potato shreds" according to Google Translate.
the most basic recipe is just julienne potatoes, dried hot chili, fry oil and rice vinegar. pre-fry the chili to infuse the oil, stir-fry the potatoes until they lose the vegetable overtones (they'll still have some crunch, basically comes out al dente), then add vinegar and simmer a bit so it soaks in.
the way I first had it also had bell pepper, fresh jalapeño, and sichuan peppercorns; that's what I've been working on recreating. (I like the extra depth of five-spice, but as hinted above I've come around to sichuan being the star on that front! also, pre-fry these too)
the carrots in the photo are something I saw online, figured I'd try them; honestly they feel entirely optional, neither help nor harm the dish (but they're healthy and look nice so probably a win overall?) I've also experimented with serrano instead of jalapeño (more heat, good if you're in the mood) and shredded cabbage (quite tasty but a decidedly different dish, the cabbage dominates).
edit: oh, one other experiment this time around was blanching the potatoes (and carrots) after cutting, in the hopes of less fry time to evenly reach the target texture. I don't think it made any difference whatsoever 😆 and there doesn't seem to be much danger of over-frying (at least, I've never done it) so I probably won't do that again.