Oven Fries

French fries are a weakness of mine. I don't know what it is about them that makes them so appealing to me! Unfortunately, they are also very unhealthy and so I am always on the search for a good baked fries recipe that tastes as good as those deep fried ones.

I'm posting this recipe because it is the closest one I've found that tastes like the real deal. It still uses more oil than I probably have used with other baked fries recipes and so I might work with it a little more and see how little oil I can get away with. (And I actually forgot to use the 5th T. of oil it calls for and so sprayed the top of the fries with cooking spray.) These also require a little more work than other recipes I've tried, so I don't know if it will be THE recipe for me yet. Anyway, these were tasty--nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

OVEN FRIES
(from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

3 large russet potatoes (10 oz each), peeled and cut lengthwise into 10-12 evenly size wedges
5 T. vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Place the potatoes (already cut up) in a large bowl, cover with hot tap water, and allow to soak for 10 min. While the potatoes are soaking, coat a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with 4 T. of the oil. Sprinkle the baking sheet evenly with 3/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.

2. Drain the potatoes, spread them out over paper towels, and pat them dry thoroughly. Toss the dried potatoes with the remaining 1 T. oil (this is what I forgot to do.) Arrange the potatoes, cut-side down, in a single layer over the prepared baking sheet. Cover the sheet tightly with foil and bake for 5 min.

3. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the sides of the potatoes touching the pan are crusty and golden, 15-20 min., rotating the baking sheet after 10 min.

4. Using a metal spatula, scrape to loosen potatoes from the pan, then flip each wedge over (keeping the potatoes in a single layer). Continue to bake until the fries are golden and crisp on both sides, 10-15 min. longer, rotating the pan as needed if the fries are browning unevenly. Transfer the fries to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and season with salt and pepper to taste.