Baked Oven Fries

By Addie

Oven fries may seem like a simple side dish that just about anyone could whip up with no problem. At least for me, this was not always true. I have made baked oven fries many times in the past and they were always okay, but they weren’t “Oh my gosh, I love love love them” good. A large part of this was due to the fact that they had a mushy texture. If you’re aiming for a half decent substitute for real French fries, chances are you aren’t going for mushy.

I learned the trick of soaking your potato wedges in water before baking the fries and that definitely helped with the texture, but they still weren’t perfect. Well, leave it to the brilliant people of Cook’s Illustrated to perfect the technique because now I have the kind of baked oven fries that I’ve been dying for. These are so great that they have caused me to put burgers on the menu several weeks in a row, just so we could have them again. Of course they can be eaten with more than just burgers though – and they should be!

Ingredients

• 3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
• 5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Details

Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.

Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.

Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.