Oven Fries

These homemade oven fries have a even brown, crisp texture on the outside, and are nice and creamy on the inside. Best part: no frying involved!

I don't know that there's anything more satisfying than a good french fry.

I don't deep fry very often, it's a mess and I don't like using a lot of oil. Oven fries have delicious homemade flavor, but can be kind of tricky. Oven fries take a long time to bake and it takes time to get a evenly browned exterior. I've found a quicker method to make these fries, and solved the browning problem.

The goal with this recipe was to cut down on oil, but still produce a fry that has a golden exterior and crunch. There a few things I did to accomplish the perfect, baked french fry.

First, add a  tablespoon of oil to a large rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven is hot and ready to go, remove the pan from the oven and evenly spread the potatoes on the baking sheet. Note: How do you know when the pan is hot and ready? You should hear the potatoes "sizzle" when they hit the hot pan.

Don't overcrowd! The potatoes need plenty of space to brown evenly--I slightly overcrowded mine in the picture below. If you want them a little soft, then you can move them closer together.

It only takes about 20-25 to bake the potatoes until they are tender. To brown the potatoes, you typically would need to bake the potatoes an additional 20-30 minutes for a brown, crunchy exterior. To speed up that process I use the broiler. Leave the pan in the oven, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. It only takes about 5 minutes for the potatoes to have a beautiful brown exterior. The potatoes brown quickly, so make sure you don't leave the oven during this process!

The finished product is a perfectly crisp and creamy, oven french fry. No fryer needed.

 

Homemade Oven Fries

Ingredients

• 3 large russet potatoes (or 4 if the russets are on the small side), washed and dried
• 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground, black pepper 

Directions

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon of canola oil on a rimmed baking sheet and evenly coat the pan with oil. Place baking sheet in oven and allow pan to warm up with the oven (about 10-15 minutes).

2. Slice potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices and again longwise. Fries should measure approximately 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. In a bowl, toss fries with one tablespoon of oil,  kosher salt, and black pepper. Make sure that potatoes are evenly coated, if needed, add more oil 1/2 tablespoon at a time until potatoes are well coated. Remove baking sheet from oven and evenly spread potatoes onto pan. Do not overcrowd pan. If needed, use two baking sheets and rotate pans halfway through.

3. Bake fries for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Bake until you can easily insert a paring knife into the potatoes. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler (leave pan in the oven). Broil until potatoes are browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer fries to a place lined with paper towels. Allow fries to drain cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Sprinkle extra kosher salt on the fries if desired (I like the added texture from a little more salt) Enjoy with ketchup or your favorite condiment!


Yields: 4 servings

Source: Tasteful Cuisine 

Smashed, Rosemary Potatoes

Nothing compliments dinner like a good, hearty potato. I love potatoes anyway they come: baked, fried, mashed and smashed! I'm not sure where this recipe originated. My mother made a similar recipe growing up and I have now devised my own version. I recently watched an episode of, America's Test Kitchen and they made a similar version of smashed potatoes and it inspired me to try these potatoes again. Start by boiling the potatoes until they are tender (but not falling apart) and then drain and cool. It is very important that they potatoes cool completely as it will make the smashing process much easier. Once the potatoes are cool, smash them with a potato masher, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt, black pepper and herbs. Bake them until they are golden brown and you have yourself an excellent side dish with any meal. Let's get started:

Smashed, Rosemary Potatoes

6 small, yellow potatoes (red would also work great)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I sprig plus 1 tablespoon Rosemary
I tablespoon Fresh Chives
Coarse Kosher or Sea Salt
Coarse Ground Black Pepper

First, scrub potatoes under water until clean. In a saucepan, place clean potatoes and fill with water, just covering the potatoes. Add one sprig of rosemary and a dash of salt to the pan. Bring to a boil and boil the potatoes over medium high heat about 30-35 minutes or until tender. Test one potato by inserting a paring knife. If the knife inserts and comes out easily the potatoes are ready. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a tea towel to dry and cool completely. Once the potatoes are cool, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare your potatoes by brushing with olive oil and placing on a greased (with olive oil) cookie sheet. Brush your potato masher with olive oil (to prevent sticking) and smash each potato. Drizzle each potato with olive oil and season generously with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and sprinkle each potato with freshly chopped chives. I served these alongside some baked chicken and a fresh garden salad. They compliment almost any meal and would be a great side dish for your summer barbeques.