Baked French Fries
I don’t eat fast food. Or at least, not in principle. Problem is, I love French fries. And the more salt and oil, the better. So, why not make my own? These are definitely not McDonald’s fries, but then again… why buy that when you can make homemade fries with real potatoes?
This is an easy, easy recipe. There is no deep-frying involved; the “fries” are actually baked. All you really need is a knife, a hot oven, a pan, and some aluminum foil. And oil, salt, and potatoes, of course. You can also add herbs, if you like: parsley, rosemary, thyme; fresh or dried. Adding herbs gets more into the cooking side of things, which I am not very good at, so I will leave that to your discretion. One potato = one serving of fries, though of course I always make two potatoes’ worth and eat them all myself in about ten minutes. I use olive oil because I like the flavor, but any cooking oil (canola, vegetable) would work.
fries-to-be
Baked French Fries
Ingredients
2 potatoes
2-3 TBS oil
salt
any desired herbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a 9”x13” pan or, better yet, a baking sheet with aluminum foil (need not be greased). The aluminum foil is not necessary, per se, but it sure makes cleanup easier.
2. Wash potatoes. Peel them if you want, or scrub them well and leave the peel on. Slice potatoes into thin sticks, like so:
3. Pour a little oil into a plate. Toss potato sticks in oil (warning: your hands will be a mess), making sure everything gets coated.
4. Spread potato sticks out on the prepared baking sheet, taking care to make sure they don’t touch (they can be close, though). Sprinkle generously with salt and any other seasonings you wish to use.
5. Bake at 450ºF for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave the oven on. Using a spatula and/or a fork, shuffle them up and try to flip over as many as you can (don’t stress about getting every last one). The side of the potato touching the metal browns faster, so turning them helps them cook more evenly. Place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, depending how crispy you want them.
6. When edges are golden to dark brown, your fries are done. Serve with ketchup, ranch dressing, or other favorite sauce.
