Oven Baked “Fries”
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 of ketchup 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!
Oven Baked Fries (Serves 4)
3 Russet Potatoes, peeled & cut into “fries”
2 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
Accompaniments: Ketchup, Mustard, BBQ Sauce
1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
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. 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. Bake for 20 minutes, then toss and bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of 30 minutes).
5. Serve.
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I do this with sweet potatoes nearly once a week. I follow the same recipe except I put mine in a plastic bag with the oil and salt and shake them up before dumping them onto the cookie sheet. They are so good!
Thank you for the bad idea. I will be trying that one tonight!
that should have been BAG!!!!! idea (sorry!)
“bad” was kinda right. why introduce plastic into the sceanrio?
Because you get the oil spread more evenly on all the potatoes that way.. It’s not like the plastic bag affects the taste or anything and it’s easy and fast and you get all the fries covered with less oil.. Potatoes in bag, shake, potatoes out of bag..
I’ve used that method for years..
I do the same, but add other spices like pepper and paprika, yum!
plastic bag = not too green. that’s all.
What is the secret to getting them cut so perfect?
It’s actually easy. Cut the potato into a block and then into “fries”. I use the end pieces too (they just don’t look as cute
How did you answer Kenya? I dread that moment with my son. Especially today when taco Bell announced their meat is only 35% real beef. What is the other 65%? Scary.
My 2 year has asked the same question, but more so can we go play there! I simply tell her we can go to the park later. We don’t need to go there, lol. My parents are absolutely dying to take her there. So she’s not allowed alone at their place yet
. They think I’m crazy for “depriving” her of MCD.
I do this with sweet potatoes all the time, too – yum! I shake them up in a lidded bowl with italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt, and then spread them on the cookie sheet.
I occasionally take my kids to McD’s at non-meal times, like mid-morning, and we’ll all share 1 plain biscuit while they play, or I’ll get them a milk or a small ice cream cone. So they still get the experience without the bad food, and our local restaurant doesn’t mind at all! I grew up not being allowed to eat fast food, and as soon as I was on my own at college I ate way too much of it, thinking it must be great if I wasn’t allowed to have it. I’m trying to avoid that reaction in my kids by exposing them to it without them actually eating it!
Yes, please share how you cut them so perfectly into ‘fries’!!!
We randomly go to MCD’s and if we do its usually for apples and some play time like Lisa said for the experience. Our big Burger pleasure though is In-N-Out. Being that is mostly organic and nothing is frozen or has preservitives I feel better about a little splurge there once in awhile
The sweet potato fries don’t get a crispy, but they’re really yummy too! My hubby’s favorite: http://weelicious.com/2008/05/01/sweet-potato-fries/
Also, try soaking the potato slices in water with 1-2tbls of sugar in the water for about 10-15 mins then rinse with cold water; the sugar in the water changes the starch component and makes for crunchier baked fries!
i cant wait to try this. my kids are going to love them!
I’ll definitely be trying these! (Even though we own a franchise of McDonald’s
)
Whoops, that was supposed to be a silly face, not a mad looking one!
Awwww…Meghan, don’t worry! We love McD’s…I worked there as a kid (probably my most favorite job). Everything in moderation!
You know, I’m so pleased that MCD’s finally has a couple of good choices on their menu.I’m simply obsessed with their oatmeal with apples, raisins and craisins.Yum.While I’m passing buy I often cant resist pulling up at the window to order muself one of those.Unfortunately the rest of my family is not too crazy about it
Delicious! Can’t even tell they’re not fried!
can these be frozen?
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.
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!
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
Made these for the first time this afternoon (and will be making more for dinner) and they were yummy!
[...] used it last night to cut spuds for Catherine McCord’s Oven Baked Fries. It seems the secret to getting oven fries really crispy (which I hadn’t mastered before last [...]
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!
Giving this a try tonight. Hope they turn out crunchy!!!
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!
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
Another fantastic recipe! My family has come to love my weelicious recipes.