Extra Crispy Oven Fries

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Extra Crispy Oven Fries. Shown with fresh steamed green
beans and Gardein Fishless Filets (Yum!)

Or, Fish and Chips - Vegan-style!

I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my recipes for comfort food and I was searching for a way to make my oven fries as crisp and tasty as the processed ones you can buy in the market (like the Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fries) because, let's face it, life without french fries isn't worth contemplating! ;-)

I found a blog entry at a Mother-Daughter blog called Layers of Happiness that made me completely re-think the way I cook my oven-fries, this is a slightly different take on their Extra Crispy Oven Baked Oven Baked French Fries. Definitely worth a visit!

This recipe was made with some wonderfully fresh organic white potatoes that my daughter had picked up at the wednesday farmer's market at our local Kaiser hospital (I wish every hospital provided this service - they put on a wonderful market all year-round!), which really makes a difference flavor-wise. But, when it comes to texture, it's all about the preparation and cooking methods discussed on the Layers of Happiness blog:

  1. Rinsing and then drying the potatoes after cutting them removes excess starch.
  2. Placing the fries on parchment paper with plenty of room between makes for a more even bake, with less moisture.
  3. Baking them at 400 degrees, then raising the temperature to 425 allows for extra crisp time without burning the fries.
  4. Don't second-guess the bake time! I pulled them out of the oven a mere 10 minutes early once because they "looked done" and had to suffer through "so-so" fries...never again!


Recipe for Extra Crispy Oven Fries:


Don't crowd those fries! Give them room and you'll be
rewarded with extra crispiness.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a Krinkle Cut Knife, I cut up several potatoes and - as recommended on the Layers of Happiness blog - rinsed and dried the fries before placing them in a ziplock bag with one tablespoon of olive oil.

Shake them up well to insure even coverage, then carefully place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave space between each fry, so the heat of the oven can bake them evenly.

I prefer my fries very lightly seasoned, so I simply shook a bit of garlic powder and sea salt over the potatoes. (Feel free to substitute your favorite french fry seasonings to your taste).

Place the pans in the 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, then raise the temperature to 425 degrees and cook for an additional 20 minutes. (Don't cut it short - you owe it to yourself to go the distance and taste those crispy fries!)

I paired these fries with Gardein's Fishless Filets and fresh green beans, and it was hands-down the best fish and chips we had ever had! No fish were harmed and nothing was fried - even better! The Gardein products are readily available in my area at Walmart and Winco Foods (Winco is about 2/3 the price of Walmart), so you should be able to find them in your area.


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