Oven fries

Admission: fries are one of my weaknesses. Come on, who can't resist a big plate of fries? Of course this weakness lends its hand to "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips." So I figured that there has to be a better way of enjoying french fries other than picking them up through a window or dumping a bunch of frozen potato sticks onto a baking sheet. So in the spirit of eating a bit healthier and not letting our organically-spent money get flushed down the drain, I decided that oven fries would be a nice way to blend the two concepts.

Admission: these fries need a little work. They were right in line with what fries should be (without the deep frying of course) but lacked a little in the flavor department and were slightly chewy, which I think had to do with the type of potato rather than my overcooking them. After cutting the potatoes (about 1lb Russet potatoes) into the traditional french fry shape (think Wendy's not McDonald's), I drizzled them with some olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I think next time I'll use Idaho potatoes, change up the seasonings a bit (and add more), and cut the potatoes into more of a steak fry shape. Truthfully, I did consider quickly deep frying them first before baking but I figured that would defeat the whole purpose of going for a healthier version. I did bake them on a greased cooling rack which I found helped the cook and crisp the fry more evenly - and I won't change that technique next time. So yeah, overall not too bad but they need a little work next time.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes @ 425 degrees F

Serves: 2