Baked French Fries

 

You know what class, I’m tired of all the bad rap that potatoes get from most people.  I’m not talking about people having a dislike for potatoes, but rather that most people view potatoes as being unhealthy, and providing no nutritional value.  But I’m telling you that nothing could be further from the truth, as potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B-6, and vitamin C, among other things.  

 

Despite this information being readily available to anyone who wishes to look it up online, I can understand why we tend to view potatoes in such a negative light.  

 

Why? Well, it’s because the most common way that our society consumes potatoes are in deep-fried forms, such as potato chips, and french fries.  And of course, you could take anything that is healthy on its own, and make it unhealthy by deep frying it, I mean just imagine if the main way we ate kale was battered and deep-fried.  You’d probably have a lot of health nuts calling for the end of kale in our diets. But just because normal french fries and potato chips are unhealthy doesn’t mean we’re going to give them up entirely, that would be ludicrous! So to help end our society’s bad opinion of the potato, and to let us all eat a little bit more healthily, I’d like to introduce you to the baked french fry.

 

Now I like to consider this recipe for baked french fries as a blank canvas, instead of something that you must follow by the book.  

 

First, you can either decide to peel the potatoes if you prefer your fries without skin or if you love the skins then you can just leave them on.  

 

Secondly, you can choose to cut your potatoes into any size you prefer. Do you like them thick like potato wedges? Then do it. Do you like them thin like shoestring fries?  Then do it. I constantly change how I make these fries depending on what I happen to be in the mood for, so feel free to do the same.

 

Another nice thing about this recipe is that once you learn the basics, then you can easily start to get more creative.  For example, if you like garlic fries then simply add some garlic, or if you like cajun spiced fries then add cajun spice, get as unique about it as you want. Always remember it’s your kitchen, so make whatever you want however you want. So with that, let’s get into today’s recipe.

 

 

Baked French Fries Recipe

 

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

 

Cook time: 40 minutes to an hour

 

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

 

3 Large russet potatoes

4 Tablespoons of a neutral-flavored oil (such as vegetable, canola, or olive)

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Optional:

Seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)

 

Instructions

 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

 

2. Cut the potatoes:  Deicide if you want to leave the skins on, or peel your potatoes, and cut them to your preferred size.  Just make sure that the size is consistent with every individual fry.  If you don’t you could end up with some cooking too quickly.

 

3. Soak the potatoes: After all of your potatoes are cut up into fries, get out a large bowl and fill it up halfway with water.  Then add 6 to 8 ice cubes to this water, along with your fries. By soaking the fries we allow for some of the excess starch to be released from the potatoes, resulting in crispier fries.  Leave your fries in this water bath for 10 to 15 minutes, and then take them out and pat them dry with paper towels.

 

3. Arrange the potatoes:  Get out a baking sheet, and pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into it.  Use a brush to spread this oil around, until it covers the inside of the baking sheet.  Add your fries to this baking sheet, and pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over them. Get a spatula and mix up these “fries” until they are all lightly coated in the oil.  Then arrange them out on the baking sheet, making sure that they aren’t overcrowded, or on top of each other.  Finally, add some salt & pepper (also seasoned salt if you like) to the top of these.

 

4. Bake the potatoes:  Place the fries into your heated oven and let them cook for 40 minutes to an hour.  During the baking process, it is important that you take the fries out every 10 to 15 minutes and flip them with a spatula.  You will know that the fries are ready when they have formed a nice golden brown color. If you are a little unsure about what that looks like then feel free to take one fry out and eat it, and it feels cooked enough than it is.  Pretty simple you see.

 

5. Serve & Enjoy

 

*If you enjoy these baked french fries then check out our Grilled Smashed Burgers recipe to have a complete burger joint meal*

 

Inspiration from other blogs

From Minimalist Baker

From My Bowl