I want to make Ribbon fries, but need to know the first step…is it best to cut, cold rinse, drain and then fry? Or can you just cut and fry?

Of course, you could do either, and many pleasant culinary discoveries are made by trial-and-error! However, I’d recommend immediately immersing the freshly-cut ribbon fries in chilled water with a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar (about a teaspoon per gallon) to minimize discoloration. This will also serve to rinse off some of the surface starch; which, if left as-is may make the fries stick together in clumps in the fryer.