Oven Baked French Fries

My kids don’t really get to eat fast food. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done it. There are playlands inside the McDonald’s that we frequent and I often cave and order some fries or something to nibble on. BUT, they have probably only eaten fast food no more than a half-dozen times in their entire lives and I do my best to keep it that way. That doesn’t mean they don’t ask to go eat at “Old McDonald’s” every time we pass one on the street and of course Fries are the main attraction.

French fries are soo easy to make at home. They are cheap, when baked and not fried, they are actually decently healthy, and the kids love them just as much as the fast food version. It’s a perfect, easy side for lunch…and here’s the kicker….my potato HATING husband actually loves them too! Let the kiddo’s help you season up the potato slices and it’s family fun for everyone! Hah!

So here’s the recipe – I will admit I completely wing this one when I make it, I just add a dash of this and a splash of that. But these quantities sound about right – feel free to play around with them though to get it the way you like it!

Oven Baked French Fries:

Russet Potato (I find that one average Russet perfectly feeds one adult and 2 young kids)
1 TBSP EVOO per potato used
1/2 TBSP seasoned salt
1 TSP garlic powder
1 TSP onion powder
1/4 TSP chili powder (feel free to add more or less to taste)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Wash up that potato really well and blot the excess water off of it. Get a large bowl and toss some ice cubes into it and some icy cold water and set it next to your cutting board. Slice up your potato(s) as evenly as you can into long thin strips – leave the skins on, they add some great taste. As soon as you have sliced the potato up, spread the pieces so they’re not all clumped together and dump them into the cold water.
3. Dig your hands into that icy water and rescue your potato slices out and put them back on the cutting board. Dump out the cold water, quickly towel dry the inside of the bowl, and start dumping your spices into it. Finish off with the EVOO and then get in there with your fingers again and mix the oil and the seasonings together until you have a grainy paste.
4. Grab those potato slices and bring them back into the bowl and again using your hands toss them in the seasoning rub. Smoosh it around and mix it up and do your best to get a nice layer of that goodness all over the potato.
5. Pam Spray the heck out of a baking sheet, don’t be shy on this one – and DON’T think you’re clever and put some aluminum foil on top of your baking sheet to save on the clean up. It won’t work this time. Trust me.
6. Put your seasoned potato slices on your Pam Sprayed baking sheet and toss it in the oven for about 30 minutes. About half way through you need to grab a spatula and mix up the slices so that they can bake on both sides.  And keep an eye on them for when they’re done. If you sliced them thinly, they may finish in 25 minutes, if you sliced them thicker, they will take longer. If you sliced them poorly and have some skinny and some fat…well…you’ll have some extra crispy fries and some a little less done 🙂  Practice, practice, practice!
7. Enjoy!!