Restaurant Style Oven Fries
This method for making fries in the oven works so well, your Russets may never take a swim in your deep fryer again!
What Kind of Potatoes Do I Use For Oven Fries?
Start with either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Normally the former is more popular, but when making fries in the oven the latter is often better. Generally, one potato per person is a good way to know how many to make. In this recipe I used 3 small to medium sized potatoes, which was perfect for 2 people.
I prefer to leave the skins on when I make these oven fries, and if you do too, scrub them under water until they are as clean as possible. Leaving the skins on keeps more flavour and nutrients. I cut my fries into 1 cm thick batons. A uniform size ensures they cook evenly.
Rinse the fries thoroughly once they are cut or the excess starch prevents them from getting crispy.
Place the rinsed fries in a pot and cover them completely with cold water and add a teaspoon of salt.
Turn the heat on high. As soon as they come to a boil (when you see the first bubble!), turn off the heat and let them sit in almost boiling water (covered) for exactly 5 minutes.
Drain them immediately and allow them to cool completely without rinsing them. This only makes them wet, which would prevent the coating from sticking to them.
Cool Down
Spread them out onto a baking sheet to cool completely. This is very important—proceeding while they are still hot can yield a gummy French fry, and who wants that? Once they cool they will be mostly dry. Evaporation is our friend here, and they will be perfectly blanched.
Make a simple coating mixture with some flour, salt, sugar, pepper and dried herbs. Be creative here…how about some Cajun spice or curry powder? I usually use oregano, but use any herb you like—as long as it’s dried.
After transferring the fries into a bowl (remember, they are cooled!), take the same baking sheet and oil it. You don’t need a lot, only about 2 teaspoons. Then preheat the oven to 400F using the convection setting. This produces the best browning, but if your oven doesn’t have this, don’t worry they will still turn out. Then pop the oiled baking sheet in to get hot. This prevents the fries from sticking to it.
How Do I Season These Oven Fries?
Before coating the fries with the dry mixture, coat them with 2 wet ingredients—oil and garlic. Grate the garlic with a rasp so it’s practically mush. In the end, there is no evidence that it is there except for the awesome flavour it will give the fries.
Then add the dry mixture.
And when the oven comes to temperature (mine beeps), remove the hot baking sheet and spread your coated fries onto it. It should sizzle! Spread them out in a nice even layer—if they are too crowded, they will actually steam more than they will bake. If this is the case, then I can promise you they will not be crispy.
The fries take 30-40 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them. Halfway through the cooking time, give them a stir so they can brown as evenly as possible. I stir them twice—once after 15 minutes, a second time after 10 minutes with a total of 40 minutes.
And that’s it! These fries are, in my opinion, better than deep fried. They are garlicky, herby and plain addictive. They are easily restaurant quality and get crispier as they sit—it doesn’t get much better than that now, does it?
Watch a video demo here!
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sized potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cooking oil (any kind)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs
Instructions
- Cut potatoes into 1 cm thick batons and place in a colander. Rinse well under cold water to remove excess starch.
- Transfer rinsed fries into a pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Heat on high until the water barely comes to a boil, then turn off heat. Cover with lid and allow fries to sit in the hot water for 5 minutes.
- Drain the fries and shake well. Do not rinse. Spread fries out onto a baking sheet and allow to dry and cool completely, about 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, pepper and herbs. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400F, using convection setting if available. Transfer cooled fries to a medium bowl and oil baking sheet with 2 teaspoons oil. Place in the oven while it preheats.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over fries and finely grate in the clove of garlic. Toss well to coat, then add the dry mixture. Toss to coat again.
- When the oven is preheated, remove hot baking sheet and spread the fries out onto it. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on desired crispness. Stir French fries halfway through cooking time, then once again. Serves 2-4.
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