Culinary School teaches the procedure to prepare true French Fries. This knowledge is beneficial, but when you have a hankering for fries, believe me, you are not going to deal with the fuss and muss of blanching potatoes in hot oil, or patiently waiting while parboiled potatoes are drying on some kitchen towels. Not to mention digging out the deep-fryer that is hibernating in the back cupboard. No, you will probably abandon the idea and attempt to quell the yearning in some other way (“Do we have any potato chips?”) or you may begrudgingly begin a batch of mashed potatoes instead (all the while calculating how long it would take to hit the drive-through). Either way, you still don’t have your fix.
Here is an easy and quick way to have great-tasting French fries in the time it takes to hit the drive-through.
A high-starch potato, like the russet, is essential in getting the true French fry effect. You can chose to peel it, or leave it au natural.
Oven ‘French Fries’
Prep Time: 10 minutes Baking Time: 35-40 minutes
Number of Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2-3 large russet potatoes, washed, and left unpeeled
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely grated
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 mL) olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: Finely chopped chives or garlic scapes
Chipotle Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
Sour Cream and Onion dip (recipe follows)
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 3750 F (1900C)
- Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters, and then into ‘french fry’ slices ( ¼ inch by ¼ inch).
- Place in a large bowl and toss with minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Place on lightly oiled parchment paper on 2 large baking pans – ensure that they are in a single layer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly brown and crisp. Stir often during baking time.
- Serve with Chipotle mayonnaise and/or Sour Cream and Onion dip.
Chipotle Mayonnaise: Mix ½ teaspoon of smoky chipotle chili powder into ½ cup of mayonnaise … or finely chop one chipotle chili (canned in adobo sauce) and mix it into the mayonnaise.
Sour Cream and Onion Dip: Stir in some dried minced red onion bits or some granulated onion powder (about 1 teaspoon) into a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Stir in some finely chopped green onions or chives. Add a little salt and pepper.
Questions and comments are always welcome alex@chilipeppersandpears.com
