EASY Crispy Baked "French Fries"

These fries are oh so EASY to make and tasty!  I never liked the idea of deep frying and all the fat you intake when you eat it so I wanted to make something just as good but healthier for you.  This recipe will have you eating delicious "fries" and feeling good about the way you made them.

Step 1 INGREDIENTS

Heat oven to 450 degrees


3 Russet Potatoes
Olive Oil or Sesame Oil or Vegetable Oil
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt
Lemon (juice)

Comments

[vincent7520]

Double bake (or double fry) is the catch fo good crispy potato fries …

[dkiehl]

Just a small improvement on these Taters. I never peel the Spuds, saves time & improves nutrition. 2nd after slicing the Taters to 1/4 - 1/2 inch soak the spuds in cold water & 1 Tablespoon white vinegar in a bowl or zip lock bag keep water to a minimum & submerged or remove the air from baggie. Soak for 1 hour. Drain & dry very well using paper or cloth ( lint free) towels
The question you ask why the vinegar? Well here is the answer.
1) Water is used as a solvent to get the biopolymer (starch) into solution. When the solution is heated, the water helps the starch molecules to become disrupted and disordered (denatured). When dried, the disordered polymer chains become entangled and a neat film is formed. The process is called film-casting.

Vinegar: & Starch dissolves better if a small amount of ions (electrically charged particles) are present in the mixture; the polymer molecules become disordered more easily, and the resulting cast films are somewhat improved. These added ions interact with both the starch and the small amounts of other polymers (lipoproteins) that are present in starch. One way to add ions into the mixture is to use ammonium acetate. Ammonium acetate works very well in this respect because it forms ammonium ions and acetate ions in solution. However, ammonium acetate is not readily available. Vinegar is a practical alternative that you can use when making your own French Fries. Vinegar contains acetic acid which forms hydrogen ions and acetate ions, and (importantly) it is readily available. This is why adding a little bit of vinegar is recommended specifically when making home-made Fries.
So if you like crispy fries... denature the spuds... I always thought I would use potatoes to make VODKA not Denatured Fries. Bake then add the salt. or let the individual add salt to their taste. Amazingly this was discovered in 1880's in Paris, they became so popular " Chips" spread to England.. then to the good old USA.....

[deathsmileyinc]

just made them, but i added two onions, two little tomatos and one paprika, it tasted great but due the moist in the extra veggies the didnt get very crispy, next time i wont add tomatoes and ill add less paprika :)

[jackie323]

try also using sweet potatoes. really good!

[donicamm]

You're essentially frying these in your oven, so I'm not sure the "healthier" claim pans out.

[jackie323]

How do you figure you are "essentially frying" these when you are using one tablespoon of oil and baking them in the oven? I think that is much healthier than submerging them in a deep fryer and soaking them in oil.

[Toastalicious]

well, more like pan frying. Frenchfries are traditionally deep fried. I don't really see the "deep" part in a tablespoon of oil.

[podginater]

What part does the lemon juice play exactly? I didn't have any so I did them without, delicious anyway! Thanks

[homesteadcat]

I think it adds a little tang to the taste- somehow, the combination of lemon juice, paprika, and garlic makes it taste like french fries.

[halo7295]

It keeps the potatoes from turning a "funny" color before you bake them I assume.

[ShoopDaWhoop]

You mean celcius right?

[homesteadcat]

no, Fahrenheit.

[cad97]

Amazing! Personally, i didnt flip them, i just cooked them for 28Min. then i put the oven onto broil for 7 minutes, they werent crisp but they are awesome.

[gtoal]

I like Madras curry powder instead of paprika. Which is also very good on (USA=chips/UK=crisps).

[homesteadcat]

I will try that. The paprika, because of its color, gives the "fries" a beautiful golden like color when it is done. I can hardly taste the paprika, it 's mostly potato, crunch and salt taste. Curry powder sounds good. Thanks...

[chotzeny]

My Grandmother Bless her soul was doing this for ages
She actuelly cut them into Wedges (like some company we know)
we always fight over the ones that got glued to the tray (no teflon at the old days)

I did it once using Onion Soup Powder
- Cut potatoes (fries/wedges)
- poor some oil on the potatoes
- add 2 table spoon of Onion soup powder.
- mix
- cook for approx 30 minutes in pre heated oven
Eat...

[homesteadcat]

That sounds tasty!

[!revenge!]

darn that looks tasty

[LaLasha]

I would actually hold off on the salt until cooked because salt draws water out and can make browning harder the cooking time could be cut down by a third if you salt at the end.

[Kogitsune]

Smoked paprika would also be pretty good on these :D. This looks like a good oven fry recipe, will try the next time I have some potatoes on hand.

[smallstrangegod]

I made these for dinner last night. they were very tasty! THANK YOU!
I just put all the seasoning, oil and fries into a freezer zip lock bag and shook it around. :)

[escapefromyonkers]

i tried this type of recipe with sweet potatoes and used a big clothing ziplock bag as my everything, i was able to wash it out and keep in the freezer for the next use, except i am not sure if the type of ziplock i used was safe for food. i am sure they make food safe bags like the crock pot liner bags that are made for food

[Whatnot]

It seems to me it might be easier to put the sliced strips in some container to mix them with the seasoning and then put them on the tray.
In my experience trying to mix something on it while on a tray is a bit of an annoying undertaking and there must be a better way you'd think.

Looks yummy though.

[homesteadcat]

Good point! I just did it that way because I wanted it done fast and it was one less thing to wash.

[bitterbug]

Yum! Those would have been awesome with the haddock I just baked. Oh well, next time. :)