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These seasoned fries taste even better than a restaurant! Bake them until crispy with this magic seasoning blend and prepare to be amazed.
Did you know you can make the best fries of your life…homemade? Yes, we’re pretty confident that these seasoned fries will blow you away! Alex and I have been perfecting the art of homemade French fries for years. We’ve picked up some tips to to getting the very best fries possible in a home kitchen. Here’s the thing: they do take a bit of time! But if you have to work for your treat food, it makes it that much more special: right? These are baked in an oven until crispy and coated in the perfect seasoning blend. In fact, we think they’re the best seasoned fries you’ll have. Ready to become a French fries expert?
Ingredients for seasoned fries
First up: let’s talk French fry seasoning. We’ve tinkered with a whole lot of seasoning blends, and come up with this one. It brings out the best savory, salty flavor in your fries. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Smoked paprika: This is the Spanish version of paprika that’s made with smoked peppers. It infuses a hint of smokiness into each bite. (There are lots of smoked paprika recipes to use up a jar.)
- Old Bay: Old Bay is a seasoning blend from the American Northeast: it’s often used to season seafood and potatoes. It brings a savory, irresistible flavor to each bit. Look for Old Bay in the spices aisle in the grocery or buy it online. You can also make homemade Old Bay seasoning.
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to cut seasoned fries: by hand
Once you’ve compiled your spices, you’ve got to cut the fries! You can cut seasoned fries two ways: by hand or with a French fry cutter. We make fries so often that we got a special cutter (below). But you can easily cut them by hand! Here’s our fast and easy method (or watch this video):
- Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base.
- Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long 3/8-inch wide strips.
- Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries!
Or, use a French fry cutter!
Here’s an option only if you think you’ll make fries a lot: a French fry cutter! Typically Alex and I don’t recommend one-use gadgets. But this one is so slick, we couldn’t resist. A French fry cutter cuts fries from a potato in 1 second! (Really.) It’s easy to use and pumps them out in a jiffy. The only downside: finding storage space for a one-use gadget. Here’s a link to the French fry cutter we use.
Secret to the best seasoned fries: a 10-minute soak!
Here’s what you need to do to make the very best seasoned fries: soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. Now, some recipes call for soaking fries for up to 1 hour or more, or even boiling them first. But after lots of tests, we found you only need 10 minutes in cold water! Here’s why:
- It makes the outside crispy and inside tender. There’s a notable difference when you soak before you bake.
- You can soak while your oven preheats! Here’s the thing: you don’t lose any time because you can do it while the oven is preheating. Ideally you can cut, soak and season the fries before the oven is ready to go.
Bake them in the oven until perfectly crispy!
Here’s another nice thing about these seasoned fries: they’re baked, not fried! That makes them a healthy seasoned fries option (more on that, below). You’ll cook at high temperature (425 degrees) to get just the right golden exterior. There are only a few tricks to getting them perfectly crisp. Here’s what to know:
- Space out the oven racks. Make sure your oven racks are evenly spaced for the most even cooking. You’ll also want to reverse the trays in the oven after you pull them out to flip.
- Spread the fries in an even layer. Having air between each fry is very important to getting them crispy. If you overcrowd the tray, you’ll get soggy fries.
- Bake 20 minutes, then flip and bake 10 minutes. Flip each fry individually to make sure it crisps up on both sides. This bake time is perfect for the 3/8-inch cut fry, but you may need to adjust based on how even you cut them and your specific oven.
Are these healthy seasoned fries?
Well, we think so! These fries aren’t fried, so there’s less oil in the process. Here’s why we think these can be deemed a healthy version of seasoned fries:
- You’ll just use potatoes, minimal olive oil and a bit of salt. These are all healthy, whole food ingredients. They’re basically roasted potatoes!
- The serving size is moderate. The serving size is much less than a restaurant would serve, so that helps to keep the calories down.
Dipping sauces for seasoned fries
Once your fries are done: let’s get to the dipping! There are so many great sauces to use for dipping these tasty fries. Here are some great options:
- Aioli. Creamy aioli is a rich and savory dipping sauce. Try Classic Aioli, Shortcut Aioli, Basil Aioli or Pesto Aioli.
- Cilantro sauce. This vegan Creamy Cilantro Sauce is full of tangy flavor and totally plant-based.
- Ketchup. Of course! We like using organic ketchup, which usually avoids fructose corn syrup.
This seasoned fries recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
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Perfect Seasoned Fries
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4- Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These seasoned fries taste even better than a restaurant! Bake them until crispy with this magic seasoning blend and prepare to be amazed.
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (purchased or homemade)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly space the oven racks to ensure even cooking.
- Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into fries: (Watch this video or use a fry cutter.) Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base. Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries. The pieces can be uneven, but aim for as uniform of thickness as possible. See the video for full instructions!
- Soak in cold water (10 minutes): Place the cut fries into a medium bowl and rinse with cold water until water is clear. Then fill the bowl with cold water and allow to rest for 10 minutes (while the oven preheats). Then drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel.
- Season the fries: Add the fries to a dry bowl and toss them with the olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Old Bay, black pepper, and kosher salt. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries in straight lines on the paper, placing them as far apart as possible.
- Bake: Bake the fries for 20 minutes. Take them out of the oven and carefully flip each fry. Return to oven (reversing the pans on top and bottom racks). Bake additional 8 to 10 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown, watching carefully as the bake time depends on the fry thickness and your oven. (If the majority of the fries seem soft, continue to bake a few more minutes.)
- Taste and add a few more pinches salt if desired. Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
*This makes a good amount of fries, but much less than a restaurant portion (that’s as intended!). The largest quantity of fries that fits on two baking sheets is 2 pounds, you can increase to that much if desired (adjust seasonings accordingly).
Category: Side Dish
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Seasoned fries
A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes
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