Perfectly Crispy Oven Fries

Last week I was really craving some good french fries.  In the past when I’ve tried to make them at home, my oven fries have either come out sad and floppy or burnt to a crisp.  I was determined this time to make a batch of fries that didn’t suck.

The keys to success turned out to be high heat, enough (but not too much) oil, and the perfect cut.

The result?  Perfectly crispy oven fries.  Finally.

All you need is three simple ingredients – potatoes, oil, and salt. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and this is important, preheat it with your baking sheet inside so it gets nice and hot.

While the oven is preheating, wash, dry, and cut your potatoes. Make sure to cut them thin enough, 1/4 inch wide is the goal, but no need to be perfect. Then, and this is also important, pat the potato pieces down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

Once the oven is at 450, carefully remove the baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper. (Parchment paper helps make sure the fries don’t stick to the baking sheet.)

Place the cut potatoes onto the parchment paper making sure not to touch or overlap the pieces. Using a brush, lightly coat the pieces in oil (don’t use too much oil or they won’t crisp up!). 

Roast your fries for 10 minutes, then toss with a spatula. Roast for 10 more minutes, then check them. If they’re the way you like them, perfect! If not, throw them in for 5 more minutes or until they are as crispy as you prefer.

Season with salt and serve!

Perfectly Crispy Oven Fries

Tired of soggy attempts at healthy fries? Try my version for the crispy fries you've been waiting for!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• Russet potatoes I like to use baby organic russet potatoes, but you can use any that you like. Figure one potato per person (or maybe 2 if they are really small).
• Coconut oil or grapeseed oil
• Salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking sheet inside. Wash and dry potatoes, and cut into 1/4-inch sticks. The closer you can get to 1/4" the better (bigger pieces will not get crispy). Pat the cut potatoes dry with a paper towel.
• Remove hot baking sheet from the oven and cover with parchment paper. Carefully transfer cut potatoes onto the hot baking sheet. Using a basting brush or pastry brush, lightly coat potatoes with oil. The lighter the better (too much oil will cause your fries to be soggy).
• Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with spatula. Roast for 10 minutes more, then check for doneness. If you want your fries to be crispier, put them in for another 5 minutes. Remove when you are satisfied with the browning and crispiness of the fries.
• Optional: Transfer fries to a paper towel if there is too much extra oil on them. Add salt or other seasonings as desired. Serve!

Have you ever tried to make oven fries?  How did they turn out?