Listen, I will never give up French Fries. Never, ever. ever. It’s not even an option. I love them. They make me happy and guess what? They make my kiddos happy too. And the hubs. He loves them too. BUT, let’s be real here. One can not always go to their favorite drive-thru and order fries. But one can surely make the best ever crispy oven baked french fries! Yes, one can. I have no idea why I’m writing in the third person.
So about oven fries. There are all sorts of tricks out there you can try to ensure you end up with crispy oven baked french fries. From soaking to microwaving for a few but who has time? I don’t and I don’t want to make time. Here’s a not to so little and not so secret, secret… Cut them up small. And by small, I mean matchstick size. That’s it.
Matchsticks, a little oil and the right amount of time in the oven makes for perfect crispy oven french fries. Do this now or this weekend or whenever. Don’t get me wrong, I will still stop at the drive through for fries on days that I just can’t deal or because I have yet to perfect crispy oven waffles fries. Any tips for that folks? I’ll be in my test kitchen again soon to give waffle fries a try.
- 4 medium potatoes (I use russets)
- 1/4 olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Vigorously, scrub your potatoes using a potato scrubber or the corse side of sponge.
- Pat dry and then slice potatoes into 3 or 4 lengthwise.
- Cut matchstick sized pieces from each slice.
- Place fries in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Toss with olive oil (adding a little at a time) then sprinkle with sea salt.
- Baked for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
Oven Baked French Fries…Toppings
Go beyond the ketchup. I’m a British gal by birth so my absolute favorite thing to top my fries with is malt vinegar. Never tried it? You should be ashamed. LOL. Seriously though, give it a try but please make sure it’s malt vinegar and not any other kind. I like to add a few different toppings when I’m going for something fun or “fancy” Other toppings I like:
- Italian parsley
- Thyme
- Chives
- Rosemary
- Smoked Gouda
- Shaved parmesan
- Black pepper (and sea salt)
- Garlic butter
- Truffle butter or oil
- Brown Butter
Oven baked french fries your thing? How do you serve them?
3 Comments
Joanna
August 24, 2016 at 7:30 AMthanks for this reference!
Kathy Pease
August 29, 2016 at 3:27 PMThese look delicious! I love french fries but have not eaten them in years because I am trying to avoid fried foods and I will have to try these soon 🙂
M J
August 29, 2016 at 3:56 PMThey are so good and definitely less guilty since they are baked.