Everyone loves french fries, but guilt tells us to avoid them because of the fat content. I’ve been using the recipe below for over ten years, and truth be told, I actually prefer it to deep-fried.
It might sound like a compromise you make for the sake of eating “better,” but this isn’t one of those sad, soggy oven-fry situations. Done right, you still get a crisp shell and a fluffy center, just without the pot of hot oil to deal with afterward or the heavy feeling that comes with it.
If you happen to have cheese curds, you can use those fries to make a nice poutine.
(Experiment 63) Oven baked french fries
Ingredients
- Potato I really like red or yellow potatoes but really whichever potato you have work
- Olive oil other oils will work but since we aren’t frying, better use some good oil
- Seasoning salt, pepper, etc
- Any fresh herbs thyme, rosemary, chives, or parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven at 400F
- Wash potatoes and cut them the way you like them, thick, wedge, thin .. dump them in a container and add oil. For 3-4 average potatoes about 2 tablespoons of oil does the job. Put the lid on the container and shake the container. The goal is to lightly coat all the surfaces of the fries with a film of oil.
- Put a parchment paper in a cooking pan and dump the fries. Ideally, fries are not touching each other in the pan. You can add whatever seasoning you like at this stage but I prefer to do it halfway through the cooking. Put pan at the bottom of the oven.
- 20 minutes later, remove the pan from the oven to turn them over. As mentioned I prefer to season the fries at this point before turning them over, I can coat each side at the same time. Bake for another 12-15 minutes. If you have crowded the pan with fries, you may need to add another 10-15 minutes for them to be golden.
Depending on the variety of potatoes you use, it could take more or less time
