Everyone loves French Fries ~ it is the perfect side for just about anything. But making them can be a real challenge, from selecting the right potato, the right amount of [which] oil and at what temperature, to double fry, seasonings, whatever. Why torture yourself. Here is my recipe for fool-proof oven fries that are fantastic.
The potato? Well some say russets are best, but really, I don’t care, whatever you have (you can even do this with sweet potatoes, but may have to wedge cut them). I peel them first, then slice them as long as possible into quarter or half inch section. What matters is to get them a uniform shape for even cooking. The lay them out without overlapping on paper towels and dry them off well with several changes of paper. They must be dry!
Preparation: Toss them into a bowl, and season well with salt and pepper (I like to use sea salt), rosemary and thyme (fresh or dried) as you like, or other of your own favorites spices (Old Bay is nice too!), and olive oil. Combine well, but do not let them sit for long or the salt will draw out moisture and dampen them again – have this done just before you put them in the oven.
Process: preheat oven to 400 degrees, preheat the oiled baking tray for 10 minutes on the middle rack, take the tray out of the oven and slide on the fries. Spread them out. The tray will sizzle a bit. Return to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes; remove and flip over with a spatula, and cook for about another 20 minutes or until crisp to preference. Toss them into a bowl and eat ‘em. You could also add some parsley or cilantro, grated parmesan cheese, etc. at this point too!
Everyone loved these little darlings! So give them a try.
