crispy oven baked garlic fries

I don't always eat junk food, but when I do, it's good.

It's not that I'm a big health nut or anything.  Contrary to what the recipes featured on this blog thus far may have you believe, I'm guilty of committing several "diet downfalls" habitually - you know, the midnight snack (I've been known to have ice cream, popsicle, and cookie wrappers in my room as a result of sneaking them up from the kitchen at unholy hours), the trigger foods (cookies.), the "just one more"s that are always one lie ahead of me.  But the truth is, if you were to give me a choice between McDonald's french fries and a good Fuji apple, I'd pick the apple - not only because it's healthier, but because the apple personally tastes better.  It's a mixture of both considerations, with taste just barely beating out health in priority.  Give me a scoop of salted caramel ice cream and another of some light ice cream (like Dreyer's or Skinny Cow) and I would choose salted caramel any day.  I mean, is that even a question?

So when it comes to french fries for me, they really have to be good french fries in order to make up for the whole "I'm a deep-fried potato covered in salt" thing.  Otherwise I'd be encouraging my arteries to clog and not even be enjoying the process.  What makes a "good" fry?  A golden, crisp exterior, fluffy interior, good seasoning.  A bad to mediocre fry would be soggy, not crisp, and powdery and dry on the inside - basically holding little to no contrast in texture.  Now while knowing your fries are baked can lower the guilt-factor of their gluttonous consumption, I see no point in going through the trouble if they won't hold up to the standard of a good, texturally satisfying, fried fry.  Really, I'd take the McD's over a handful of soggy baked potato sticks. Wouldn't you?

my totally failed attempt to take a cool "in the oven" picture - hello, white stool

And soggy is what you'll get if you don't apply a couple easy techniques to ensure your carb indulgence is well worth it. There are a bunch out there when it comes to getting crisp oven baked french fries, including soaking the uncooked fries in water for an hour then patting them dry, salting them to draw out moisture, yadda yadda yadda.  Basically the core things you want to do to your baked fries in order to mimic the texture of a "real" one, regardless of how you get there, are 1) avoid moisture (too much will make the potatoes steam instead of brown, meaning soggy fries), 2) add oil (so they don't dry out) and 3) apply high, high heat, like 400°-450° high (to get those crispy, golden edges).

This recipe also uses a trick I found to be really smart - after preheating the oven to 450, I brushed the entire surface of my baking pan with olive oil and placed it in the bottom rack for about 5 minutes, until the oil was slightly steaming.  Then I dumped the potato wedges onto the steaming hot pan - which caused them to sizzle and get a jump-start on the browning process.  This technique combined with the parboiling (pre-boiling, a technique used to cook the potatoes halfway before browning them that is also commonly used for home-fries) that I did via microwave made for fries that I would actually pick over an apple. And I wouldn't even have to feel guilty about it.



P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos (and their quality); just thought I'd do a quick post before the end of the long weekend.  Hope you all have a great Labor Day!

Crispy Oven Baked Garlic Fries
Generously serves 2

2 large Russet potatoes, washed thoroughly (skin on) and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450° F.  Smash and peel 2 cloves of garlic, and place in a pan with the oil over medium heat.  Heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.  Discard garlic, and place oil in a large bowl.  Place wedges in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, seal with plastic wrap, poke a hole in it to allow steam to escape, and microwave on high for 4 minutes (or until the edges just become translucent - you still want the wedges to be firm).  Drain and pat (very) dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining 4 cloves of garlic and add to oil; toss the potatoes in the oil mixture to coat.  When oven is heated, brush the baking pan with a coating of olive oil and place in the bottom rack; heat for 5 minutes or until the pan is slightly steaming. [If this sounds dangerous, that's because it is! Be careful when you open the oven and handle the pan - and make sure you're wearing oven mitts.]  Carefully arrange the potato wedges on the pan (hear the sizzle!) in a single layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the wedges halfway during cooking to ensure browning on both sides.

When finished, toss the wedges in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste (the salt isn't added until the end because it draws out moisture from the potatoes, and could inhibit the browning in the oven).  If you want, you can serve it as I did, with some cotija sprinkled on top and a chimichurri dipping sauce made of 1 part Greek yogurt and 2 parts chimichurri. Or just enjoy with your favorite ketchup.