Baking sliced potatoes, rather than frying, is kinder for your heart. Here’s how to bake french fries to perfection.
Who doesn’t love a crispy, crunchy French fry? Now you can love them even more as a healthy choice you can make at home. With a few simple tricks, your home-baked French fries will be as good as those at your favorite restaurant, only heart-smart. Serve them with a veggie burger and green salad for a better-than-take-out dinner everyone will enjoy.
A few cook’s notes:
• Try cutting your potatoes in different shapes; the cook time will vary, but the process is essentially the same.
• Before baking, toss your potatoes with a bit of cayenne pepper, parmesan cheese, garlic powder or fresh minced herbs for a different twist.
• Get creative with sweet or purple potatoes for a burst of nutrient-rich color and a deliciously earthy flavor.
• Don’t skip the parchment paper for lining the cookie sheet. This helps you cut down on the oil needed and prevents the potatoes from sticking to the cookie sheet. It also makes clean-up a breeze, and who doesn’t love that?
Crispy Baked French Fries
Ingredients
- 6 medium-size russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat to 450 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put it in the oven to preheat.
- Scrub the potatoes. Slice in consistently sized skinny pieces.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl of water and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. This step will help make your fries crispier, so don’t skip it. You can cut the potatoes whenever you have time, then let them sit for as long as you like, immersed in the water.
- Drain the potatoes, and dry them as well as you can with a clean dishtowel or paper towels. Wipe out the bowl you soaked the potatoes in and return the potatoes to the bowl. Toss them with the oil, salt and pepper.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Spread the potatoes out on the sheet in a single layer. Be careful, the pan is hot!
- Bake your French fries for about 25 minutes. Toss them a bit, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. They are done when they are golden and crisp.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 207 | Total Fat: 7 grams | Saturated Fat: 1 gram | Cholesterol: 0 milligrams | Sodium: 127 milligrams | Potassium: 867 milligrams | Total Carbohydrate 34 grams | Dietary Fiber: 5 grams | Sugars: 2 grams
