Oven Baked French Fries

Tonight for dinner I made some French fries that Michael liked so much that he said they didn't taste homemade. Hmm, I think that was a complement, right? I'll take it as one. ;) You can tell that the picture is of my plate because I'm the only one in the family who doesn't prefer to dip my French fries into ketchup. The girls have both taken after Michael in their appreciation of that red condiment. I think I might try to figure out how to make homemade honey mustard sauce so that I have something I like to dip my fries into as well.

If you like really crispy fries, then these aren't for you. (If your preference is for extra crispy, you might want to try out this Cook's Illustrated recipe.) But if you like French fries that are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, then these are perfect. One pound of potatoes was plenty for the four of us (two adults and two small children) for dinner, but the French fries tasted so good that we all could have eaten a lot more. As the girls get older, I know that I'll need to make at least a pound and a half, otherwise Michael and I won't get as many of the fries as we would like.

I've used only regular white potatoes when I've made these French fries, but other recipes swear by Russets. I think that whatever kind of potato you have on hand would probably be fine. The key steps are to dry off the potatoes after you rinse them, to use the full amount of oil, and not to salt the fries until they have baked. When I didn't follow these steps, the fries stuck terribly to the baking sheet. The loss of some of the French fries was mourned by all, so now I am careful to preserve every last fry for our consumption.

A couple of other recipes with helpful tips for making great oven baked French fries are at the following links for Roasted Potato Wedges and Perfect Oven Fries.

Oven Baked French Fries
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients: (on a normal night)

• 1 lb. potatoes
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Ingredients: (on a night when we're all really hungry)

• 1 1/2 lb. potatoes
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the baking sheet in the oven while it is preheating. Rinse the potatoes and then dry them thoroughly. Cut the potatoes into strips that are 1/4-inch wide and tall, and the length of the potato. Place the potato strips into a medium bowl and toss with the canola oil. Sprinkle the onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper onto the potatoes and toss so that the potatoes are evenly coated with the spices.

When the oven is preheated, take the baking sheet out of the oven using oven mitts and spread the potatoes on the sheet in one layer. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 10 minutes. Then take the baking sheet out of the oven to toss the fries. Return the sheet to the oven for 10 more minutes. Toss the fries again; then return the sheet to the oven for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, transfer the French fries to a bowl. Sprinkle the salt onto the fries and toss the fries to distribute the salt evenly. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil until ready to serve.