2.26.2011

Savory Oven Fries


This blog post was requested by my dear friend who serves as a missionary in SE Asia. I was happy to oblige her request and searched for a good oven fry recipe. Thank you, Dara @ Cookin' Canuck for this recipe inspiration!

These oven fries proved to be a tastier and more effective method (instead of deep frying) for serving a large crowd at IPC. The results was fantastic, and who can possibly resist crispy, savory fries. And on top of that, they're healthy too!

So here is the recipe you requested, my BFF!

Evenly cut potatoes is the first step to perfect fries. Cut about 1/4" off of long sides of the potato to creating four flat sides for it to firmly sit on the cutting board. Then cut potato into 1/4" or slightly thicker planks. Taking 3 to 4 planks at a time, evenly slice the potatoes into fries, about 18 pieces.

Rinse in cold water. Can be prepared about two hours ahead but soak them in cold water to keep the potatoes from turning gray.


When ready to cook, put cut potatoes in a colander with a large bowl underneath, soak in hot tap water for 10 minutes to remove starch.


Drain potatoes. Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels.


Toss with oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I used peanut oil for flavor but you can use canola, vegetable, or olive oil. Spread evenly on a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Dark coated, non-stick pans without parchment can also be used. Bake in oven at 475 degrees.


In the mean time, toss together chopped parsley, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and finely minced fresh garlic.


After about 20 minutes of baking, using a spatula, carefully turn fries over for even baking. Watch out for escaping steam when opening the oven door!


After about 35-40 minutes, beautifully browned fries emerges. In a large bowl, toss hot fries and parsley-Parmesan cheese mixture. Serve immediately. Sprinkle more kosher salt and pepper as needed.

Print This Recipe

Savory Oven Fries
Recipe Inspired by Dara @ Cookin' Canuck

3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled, each potato cut lengthwise into 16 or so evenly sized wedges
4 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil (other oils can be used as well)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Extra salt & pepper to taste
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with hot tap water; soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place a sheet of parchment paper to fit 18 by 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet

2. Drain potatoes. Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels. Rinse and wipe out now-empty bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with 4 tablespoon oil and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet and bake until bottoms of potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using metal spatula and tongs, flip fries, keeping potatoes in single layer. Continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.

3. Transfer fries to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle parsley, garlic, and Parmesan cheese mixture until coated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Serves 3-4

Make-Ahead Tips:
Hours ahead:
Parsley can be cleaned and leaves picked ready for chopping
Grate cheese and set aside

2 hours ahead:
Wash and cut potatoes, soak in cold water up to 2 hours if necessary

1 hour ahead:
Soak cut fries in hot tap water for 10 minutes
Chop parsley and toss with grated Parmesan cheese and grated garlic
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F

To yield 35 generous portions to be used as a side for sandwiches, I used 13 pounds of potatoes.

26 comments:

  1. These look so good, Kay! Great tutorial and tips.

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  2. Sounds great Kay, fantastic tutorial & couldn't agree more, oven fries are the way to go :)

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  3. I have never made fries myself. Those look fantastic and my husband would go crazy for those fries...!

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  4. 35 portions...pfff... just give me the bowl!

    I prefer oven fries over the deep fried ones anytime, they tend to be sweeter with a much nicer bite!

    They Look Great, Kay!

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  5. This looks delicious and easy! Thanks for the tips :)

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  6. EEEEK!!!! I'm SO excited, Kay!!! THANK YOU! ♥ I knew you could help me out on this one!!! You've made one missionary family VERY happy, friend! ♥ :hugs: to you!

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  7. umm, i just read the recipe. what's 'hot tap water?' ;o) i haven't found that where i live yet! and that fresh parmesan? well...let's just say it's in my dreams. as for the roll of paper towels you used, i'll be pulling out a bath towel instead. but don't worry - i'll make sure there aren't any ants in it first! :lol: thanks again!♥

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  8. @us5, ha! I DID think of you when I wrote "hot tap water', thinking you will know to boil the water to add. But I did not know about having no paper towels.....yes, make sure your bath towel is ant AND gecko free! :)

    @Sue, @anna, @cooking gallery,@toby, and dear @Holly, I will not deep fry french fries again for my church family. This was far superior!

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  9. yes, ma'am. no gecko infused hot 'tap' water, i promise.

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  10. Huh... you know I use the oven for sweet potato fries. Why did I never think to do it with regular potatoes?

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  11. I can't wait to try these! They look perfect. I haven't had 100% success with oven-baked before, but then again I didn't have you to give me tips and step-by-step pictures. THanks! =)

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  12. Kay - These look and sound so amazing! Fries are my weakness, but I love that these are baked! The seasoning of parsley, parmesan, salt, and garlic sound wonderful. I'll have to try this! Thank you for sharing.

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  13. Super delish! Would also love these with sweet potatoes. Beautiful pics as always!

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  14. I like the fact that they are oven fries. Much better for you than the fried. I love your website and your pictures. May I ask what kind of camera you use?

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  15. Hi Kay-Your method of baking these yummy fries fascinates me. I love the combination of the parsley, parmesan, and garlic. Also, your step-by step method, is such a helpful tip. The highest temperature that I used to make oven fries were 425. The 475 degrees explains the crispiness of the amazing oven fried potatoes.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  16. If you were able to get these fries so crispy looking with 15 lbs of potatoes, I really ought to try this recipe! It looks so delicious with all of your suggested toppings. It's impressive the variety of foods you cook for the church.

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  17. Ooooo, Totally tempting! Absolutely delicious fries :)

    Cheers,

    Aldy.

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  18. I stumbled across your blog from a comment on another blog and am so glad I did. These look delicious! Potatoes are always the way to my heart. :)

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  19. These look delicious! I love oven fries. I've left you the Stylish Blogger Award on my blog. You can see the details at http://www.ryanbakes.com/2011/03/stylish-blogger-award.html

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  20. Thanks so much ladies! And so glad to "meet" you, Kim!

    And Veronica, I use the least expensive Nikon D3000 body with 50 mm lens,
    http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-50mm-1-4G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001GCVA0U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1299064227&sr=8-2

    Since most of my photos are taken in the basement kitchen with the fluorescent lighting ,I use speedlite often. My photos are not the best yet but much better than when I started. :)

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  21. Amazing tutorial!! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!

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  22. Wow Kay! These look so great and thank you for the lesson! I am making these ASAP! : )

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  23. Hi Kay, I tried these fries and they are amazing! I didn't have the fresh herbs on hand, so unfortunately had to do without. But I did have the parmesan, and I loved them with it. :)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  24. These look amazing. I really think I could fries every day for the rest of my life. I am so glad I found this blog by looking at another blog's links......

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  25. I just wanted to add a comment here to mention thanks for you very nice ideas. Blogs are troublesome to run and time consuming thus I appreciate when I see well written material.Your time isn’t going to waste with your posts. Thanks so much and stick with it No doubt you will definitely reach your goals! have a great day!

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