Crispy Oven Baked Fries

Try these tasty golden French Fries, baked to crispy perfection. Ideally served with hot dogs and veggie burgers.

Who loves crispy golden french fries? Okay, maybe I should ask who doesn’t love crispy golden french fries?

I freely admit that I love potatoes. 💛 And I love just about anything made with them. Besides bread, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. And they are so good for you, too.

But then there are those golden crispy french fries. So tasty. I love French fries. You can order them in most restaurants. They are the perfect accompaniment to all kinds of sandwiches, hoagies, subs, veggie burgers, carrot dogs, chili dogs, pulled jackfruit sandwich, sloppy joes, and so on. And yet, they’re simple and perfect all on their own. Some people like to put chili and cheese on their fries. I don’t need my french fries to be fancy. I believe in the KIS french fry concept – keep it simple.

The only problem I have with french fries is that they are typically fried. Well, obviously, this is a no-brainer; it’s in the name. But they taste so good and they’re so crispy. And french fries are crazy awesome finger foods. Oh, how I love tasty finger food…. except I don’t typically like greasy foods.

And if you’re like me and you are actively trying to reduce the amount of oil and salt in your favorite foods, then this is the recipe for you. No, they aren’t the same as fried french fries; but they certainly are just as tasty. Plus, you won’t feel heavy afterwards.

I’m going to share two tried and true tricks to get fantastic oven-baked fries. These tasty little potato sticks are baked to a nice tender perfection, a little crispy and golden on the outside and very soft inside. And these tricks really do maintain these must-have elements of a good french fry.

But first things first. Any potato will do. Russets make very good French fries, as seen in this photo. But I’ve learned over time that Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes make the absolute best Crispy Oven Baked French Fries. Trust me. But like I mentioned, you can use any kind of potato to make these fries.

There are a few steps involved in creating delicious oven-baked fries. Try to find uniform potatoes that are nice and long, if possible. But don’t stress about it because any potato will do. Now wash your potatoes very well in lots of water. You can soak them a minute or two and then use a potato brush or vegetable scrub brush to get off any remaining dirt.

Once the potatoes are nice and clean, cut them lengthwise into equal slices. Turn them, and slice them again to create long sticks. You can make them as wide or thin as you like. Just keep in mind that thinner fries will need less time steaming and baking. And wider or fatter fries (like wedges) will need slightly more time steaming and baking. Simple math, I promise.

Next up are the best two secrets for successful oven-baked fries. In order to get golden toasty fries with very little to no oil, you need to soak your potato sticks in water for 30 minutes. You can soak them a little shorter or longer if you’re preoccupied with meal prep for the rest of your meal.

Drain your potatoes and rinse well with water. This removes all that pesky starch that I secretly dream about. (That amazing starch makes stretchy Mighty Cheez sauce!) Now steam the potato sticks in a steamer basket over boiling water or in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes or in a steam pot for about 8 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes to be completely cooked but they should be almost fork tender.

Now, toss your par-cooked potato sticks gently in a bowl with a teaspoon of oil (if using) and your favorite seasoning blend. I use one squirt of avocado oil spray. The oil helps the seasoning to adhere to the fries. Otherwise, you end up with mostly naked fries and that just looks weird. Have no fear; Heinz ketchup comes to the rescue quite nicely. However, if you aren’t using any seasonings, no oil is necessary. Most of the time, I use a simple smoked paprika-garlic blend. Such good flavor on these oven-baked fries. I’ve included it in the list of ingredients so you can try it for yourself; but you can season your french fries however you prefer.

Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place the seasoned potato sticks in an even layer them on the cooling rack. Bake or grill for about 20 minutes, until golden and crispy.

And there you have it. Perfectly baked French fries that bring a smile to your face. Now where’s my ketchup?!

Ingredients

• 2-3 large (or 4-5 small) russet potatoes
• 1 tsp oil (optional)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Lime Fiesta blend

Instructions

1. Wash your potatoes well, using lots of water and a vegetable brush to get off any remaining dirt.
2. Cut your potatoes lengthwise into equal slices. Turn them, and slice again to create long potato sticks.
3. Soak your potato sticks for 30 minutes. 
4. Preheat oven or grill/smoker to 400° F.
5. Drain your potatoes and rinse well with water.
6. Steam in the microwave for about 5 minutes or in a steam pot for about 8 minutes, until almost fork tender.  Don’t overcook them or they won’t hold their form.
7. Allow to cool a minute or two. Then, toss them gently in a bowl with your favorite seasoning blend. 
8. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
9. Place the seasoned potato sticks in one even layer to allow air flow.
10. Bake or grill for about 20 minutes, until golden and crispy.

I highly recommend serving these sticks of golden goodness with veggie burgers or carrot dogs (yum!!).

Notes

You can use this same method for sweet potatoes. Check out these silver and gold beauties.

You can grill these fries so easily. We love using our Traeger pellet smoker/grill. All the directions remain the same. Set the grill to 400° F. Once up to temp, place the pan of fries in the grill. The blowing air acts like a convection oven and does a fantastic job crisping these fries up. It’s like having an air fryer (I’m only guessing since I don’t have one.)

To download or print this recipe, please click on download link below: