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Oven Baked "Fries"

January 26, 2011

Last week I had the moment many moms with kids older than mine have warned me about. I was driving with Kenya and at one point he looked out the window and said, "Mommy, what's that place over there with the playground and hamburgers on the sign?" Now, I grew up eating McDonald’s, but now that I know what's really inside fast food meals, I'm committed to trying to keep my kids away from it for as long as possible. That doesn't mean that I want them to miss out on the fun foods I enjoyed as a kid (and still enjoy), like burgers and fries. I simply want them eating the healthiest possible versions of those foods and I’ve realized through a lot of testing, that to do so, you don’t have to sacrifice great taste.

For example, take one of my favorites: French fries. Instead of deep frying, I bake them in the oven. My “fries” come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and I serve them up with a side ofketchup and mustard, just the way that I used to enjoy them when I was little. Do you think if I take Kenya and Chloe to our neighborhood playground with a sack of these it will be as much fun for them as a McDonald’s? My bet is as long as we're all together sharing fun and “fries”, it will be!

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Oven Baked Fries  (Serves 4)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes,
  • Total Time: 35 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 3 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into “fries”
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
  2. 2. Place raw cut “fries” in to a colander and rinse under cold water (to remove the starchy exterior of the potato). Then, pat “fries” dry with a towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
  3. 3. Place “fries” on to a sheet tray, pour 2 tbsp of oil and 1 tsp kosher salt over them and then toss to coat evenly.
  4. 4. Bake for 20 minutes, then toss and bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of 30 minutes).
  5. 5. Serve.

Accompaniments: Ketchup, Mustard, BBQ Sauce

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Comments






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  1. ultimatezinc

    May 24, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    Reply

    These are delicious. Thank you. I appretiate that you specify how much oil and how much salt. I am not a great chef and your step by step easy recipes help me make yummy healthy food that I am proud of. We’ve made these fries a few times now and they are so good.

  2. NicolaH

    April 27, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Reply

    Hallelujah! The perfect fry recipe. Made these with sweet potatoes and they were awesome.

  3. Pingback: Our (Real) Food Journey, Part 3: Getting Kids to Embrace Real Food | LiveSimply

  4. Samantha

    December 6, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    Reply

    This would have been awesome if I hadn’t had to pry them off the baking sheet. FYI GREASE YOUR SHEET even if you are coating them in oil.

    • Earnestine

      January 13, 2013 at 1:39 am

      Reply

      Use a silpat then you will not need to add more oil to your food and it will not stick

  5. erica90250

    July 25, 2012 at 10:23 am

    Reply

    Is kosher salt and sea salt the same?

  6. Ruth Pinnell

    June 18, 2012 at 7:30 am

    Reply

    Made these last night – think I finally found a way to get the family off frozen french fries! I tried soaking in the sugar water, not sure if that made a difference in crispiness or not. They do stick a little, but after stirring them up midway through baking, didn’t stick anymore. Will try putting them on Release foil next time. Yummy!

  7. Catherine

    June 15, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    Reply

    Turned out so beautifully that my 2.5 year old ended up eating a whole potato’s worth! However, we do line a tray with foil and spray the foil with some rice bran oil first to minimise sticking.

  8. Lisa

    June 12, 2012 at 2:36 pm

    Reply

    Whoa! We loved these! My 3 year old asked it I got them at McDonalds. “Nooooooo… Mommy made them!” :-) Whole family loved them. Thank you! :-)

  9. sallysunshine

    June 8, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Reply

    to make like a dessert; cinnamon and a little sugar tastes good on the sweet potato fries; even though I think they are fine on their own (it is so hard to win some people over to healthier food; whatever it takes!)

  10. catherine

    June 6, 2012 at 11:50 am

    Reply

    Soak the fries in water to help remove some of the starch from the potatoes. Then make sure to dry them really well before placing them on the baking sheet! If they are wet they will stick to the pan! I hope this helps!

  11. Heather

    June 5, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    Reply

    My family loves both the sweet potato fries and regular fries. I sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on the sweet potato version after they come out of the oven and oh, so very good!

  12. Sarah

    June 5, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Reply

    I am having the same problem with this recipe! HELP!!! These are far too awesome to have them get mangled like this!!

  13. Deja

    February 6, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Reply

    Another fantastic recipe! My family has come to love my weelicious recipes.

  14. Kimberly

    January 13, 2012 at 4:57 pm

    Reply

    What am I doing wrong?? Every time I make these, they stick to the pan and come out a complete mess. It doesn’t matter how much oil I put on them, or what pan I use. The fries stick and get all burnt on one side. Very few turn out ok and they’re oh so yummy which makes it even more frustrating :(

    • Earnestine

      January 13, 2013 at 1:46 am

      Reply

      Use a silpat withe perforated baking sheet then you will not need to add more oil to your food and it will not stick

  15. Amber Gray

    August 4, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    Reply

    I made these last night and they were perfect!! They were very crunchy and everyone ate them up. I turned my oven on broil the last two minutes just to get them really crispy. Thanks for the great recipe!

  16. Ann

    June 1, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    Reply

    Giving this a try tonight. Hope they turn out crunchy!!!

  17. not a jerk

    April 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    Reply

    If she wants to use a bag so what, It could be a bag from the grocery store and you dont know because you want to judge her for not being “green” what a jerk!

  18. Pingback: Chicken Lumps and Baked Shoestrings @ Country Mouse & City Mouse

  19. Tanya

    February 8, 2011 at 2:23 am

    Reply

    I use this http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-Vegetable-French-Cutter/dp/B00004RDFH to cut mine ;) )) It’s fun :) )

  20. Erin

    February 3, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    Reply

    Made these for the first time this afternoon (and will be making more for dinner) and they were yummy!

  21. kat

    February 3, 2011 at 2:21 am

    Reply

    i recently discovered doing this with butternut squash. it doesn’t get as crispy but they are really good. my 20 month old loved them

  22. angie

    February 1, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    Reply

    I used to do this all the time with sweet potatoes, but it didn’t even cross my mind that I could do it with regular potatoes. I have to try this! My almost 2 year old LOVES french fries and this is what I need to do to make the treat even less damaging. Thanks!

  23. Nikki

    January 28, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    Reply

    I do this all the time! lol I’m going to try the suger thing though. I used to work at New York Fries and I dare say the baked version is as good as the ones I used to make! To get the perfect cut fries I got a Potato fry cutter thing from Walmart. If I remember correctly it’s made by starfrit. Really easy to use too.

  24. debra

    January 28, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    Reply

    can these be frozen?

  25. Jennifer

    January 28, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Reply

    Delicious! Can’t even tell they’re not fried!

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