Crispy Baked French Fries

For many years, I have been trying to find the perfect baking technique for crispy french fries. I’ve tried parboiling the potatoes, microwaving them in oil, coating them in a multitude of batters, and various combinations of other methods, but nothing has met my expectations. Some have come close, but I was searching for that golden brown crispy outside with the fluffy insides that I was beginning to think could only be achieved by frying them in oil.

I was so close to giving up on my journey for the perfect french fry, until a lazy Sunday morning and bout of boredom led to the holy grail of fries.

The key to the process is a double soak to remove the starch from the potatoes and a second coating of olive oil while baking. It does take a bit of forward thinking, but I promise you the results are worth it. I may or may not have eaten the entire batch in one sitting and I have no regrets about that decision.

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 large potato

olive oil

salt

pepper

chili powder

garlic powder

basil

ancho chili powder

It's very important that you're oven be hot, so don't skip on the preheating process and turn your oven up to 450°

I like to keep the skin on the potato when making fries. If you are going to keep the skin, give your potato a good hard scrub to remove any dirt and residue. If you prefer a cleaner cut, skin your potato before slicing it.

When working with a large potato I find it easier to cut it in half, along it's width, before slicing. It's important to try and keep your slices uniform, so that all of the fries will cook at the same speed. I like my fries just a little thicker than a shoe string cut, so I aim for each slice to be about the width of my pinkie finger.

Again, a uniform cut will save you from a mix of burnt and undercooked fries. On the second cut, I try to cut each piece to 1/4". Using a large potato this will yield about 6 fries from each slice of potato. If you have to decide between a slightly large fry or discarding a bit on the end, I choose to discard the extra potato.

I was in the Kitchen Collection store the other day and amongst an assortment of gadgets I cannot rationalize buying (even though I really want them) was a French Fry slicer by Hamilton Beach that could speed up the slicing process.

This step is where the magic happens. The double soak. Place all of your potato slices in a bowl and completely cover them with cold water. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes before draining the water. You'll notice that the water is a murky grey color, this is the starch being drawn out. 

Fill the bowl again so that all of the potatoes are covered and place the bowl in the fridge for 2-4 hours. I believe 2-4 hours is the optimal time for the second soak, but it can be done in anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how much time you have available.

After you drain the water from the bowl, use a paper towel to dry the fries. Place them on a towel and use a second paper towel to blot off all of the excess water. Make them as dry as possible, but do not squeeze the water out of them. 

Next, it is time for the spices. I prefer a zesty french fry, but you can use whatever spices you prefer. I use a nickel sized serving of each spice, tossed in a bowl to completely cover the potatoes. After you apply your spices add olive oil until the fries are completely covered.

On a piece of parchment paper, spread out the fries so that none are overlapping and each has some room around it. Use more than one baking sheet if necessary. The extra room will ensure that each piece cooks evenly and achieves the perfect crisp.

Place both baking sheets in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, removing the baking sheet from the oven. Flip the french fries over and drizzle olive oil over them.

Place them back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes depending on your preference. I like my fries well done, so I place them back in the oven for the full 30 minutes.

Finally, you have the perfect crispy baked french fries. Utter gold. Add your choice of dipping sauce and go to town.

Loaded Potato Egg Rolls

This past Monday, a couple of my classmates and I decided to have a potluck dinner. I love getting together with classmates and having fun outside of school, but a potluck dinner is work. There are so many questions to ask yourself:

What do I bring?

Do I stick with a standard or try something new?

How much food do I need?

Can everyone else cook?

What will everyone like?

Food allergies?

The list goes on and on. I never know if I should go all out or pick up a bag of chips and call it a day. However, being in a program with 30 other people means we know each other pretty well, so I felt pretty comfortable in my decision to try out a new recipe. I also had the added advantage of knowing that the main dish was going to be BBQ Chicken. I browsed through a few cookbooks and scrolled through my Pinterest recipe page before deciding to try loaded potato egg rolls.

Ingredients:

4 cups of garlic mashed potatoes

10 sticks of Monterrey Jack string cheese

1 pack of egg roll wrappers - 20 sheets

(Egg roll wrappers are usually in the produce section)

Cooking spray or Olive Oil

There are many options for how to prepare your mashed potatoes for this recipe. I chose to used packaged mashed potatoes because of my schedule on Mondays. If you have the time and desire to make your own garlic mashed potatoes, I highly suggest The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes because they are heavenly. You will need about 4 cups of potatoes to fill your wrappers.

Preheat the oven to 425°F

Unwrap 10 sticks of string cheese and cut them in half. The cheese will melt and infuse with your potatoes while cooking and the half stick will minimize the leakage from the wrappers.

Lay down an egg roll wrapper on a dry surface and place 3 tablespoons of potatoes into the center of the wrapper. I prefer to orient the wrapper as a diamond to make the wrapping easier.

Place the half stick of cheese directly in the middle of the potatoes and then cover it up so that the cheese is hidden in the center. Try to ensure that the cheese is completely covered as this too will help to minimize leakage from the wrapper.

The back of your egg roll wrapper package should have a visual diagram for how to wrap an egg roll. I prefer to fold in two corner until they nearly meet in the center. I then begin rolling tightly from one side until just a small corner is sticking out from underneath the egg roll. At this point, apply a small dab of water to the corner and finish wrapping, pressing down firmly to ensure that it all sticks together.

Before baking, cover all of your egg rolls in a light layer of cooking spray or olive oil. This will help achieve a golden brown exterior. Place the egg rolls in the oven and cook them for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rotate the egg rolls and place them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes or until the outside has reached your preferred level of crisp.

These went over great at the potluck. Everyone said that it was a great delivery system for mashed potatoes and that they would be trying it out at their next dinner party. 

Cheesy Potatoes

Oh the weather outside if frightful

But the Netflix fire is so delightful

And since I’ve got no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

And snow it will. I moved to the South to avoid the reality of winter, but recently North Carolina has been looking a lot more like Philadelphia with its week of snow of ice.

Maybe it’s the Irish in me but when the winter weather rears its ugly head, I turn to the warmth of potatoes for comfort. Cheesy potatoes to be specific. My mom still laughs at how long it took me to figure out that Au Gratin meant cheese and I still feel a little bit of despair at how many years I missed out on this amazing combination of potatoes and cheese.

I usually make cheesy potatoes in a crock put using this recipe from the Sunshine Mom, but today I’m craving the crispy, almost burnt, top layer, which can only be achieved in the oven.

Ingredients Needed:

3 large russet potatoes

8oz shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack)

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

1-½ cups of milk

1 tsp. salt

Garlic salt to taste

Pepper to taste

The first step is to clean and peel your potatoes. Yes, I clean them even though I'm going to peel the skin off because now I don't have to be particular about getting 100% of the skin off. I used my knife to peel these potatoes, but if you have a potato peeler it will cut down on prep time.

Preheat your oven to 350°

Slice 'em up. If you're using a knife to slice your potatoes, pay close attention to maintaining an even thickness. I prefer my potatoes thin so I try to keep my slice around a 1/4" thick. I keep telling myself that I'm going to get around to replacing my mandolin slicer, but until that day comes a sharp knife will suffice.

The next step is the hardest one in my opinion. It's time to make the ever elusive roux. Place a medium to large sized pot on medium heat and melt the butter until it begins to bubble. When the butter bubbles add in the flour and salt and whisk continuously. Continue whisking the roux until it becomes a dark yellow/light brown color. When your roux begins to brown, add in the milk and cheese and stir. Allow the sauce the cook until the cheese in completely melted and begins to boil. You can move onto the next step, but keep an eye on your sauce and make sure to stir occasionally. 

In a deep casserole dish or baking pan, begin to layer the potatoes. Lay down one layer of potatoes and then add garlic salt and pepper to taste. You can choose to use sea salt in place of the garlic salt. Repeat layers until you've used all of your potatoes.

Now that your cheese sauce is finished and delicious, pour it over the potatoes, making sure to cover the dish evenly.

Place your potatoes in the oven and allow them to cook for 1 hour. As I mentioned, I prefer a nice crispy top to my potatoes, so I switch the oven to the broiler and cook the dish for another 3-5 minutes to get a nice burnt top.

Grab a spoon or a fork and enjoy. If you want to spice up your dish I recommend adding some Andouille Sausage to add a punch and a protein.

-The Garlic Graduate