"Fries"

 

For Valentine's Day I decided to cook John a romantic dinner, and by romantic I mean buffalo wings and fries.  I knew nothing would make him happier.  We lit a candle for the table, broke out lots of paper towels, and dug in.  I also changed out of my pajama pants for the first time in weeks and commemorated the holiday with an actual dress. 

 

  

They aren't really fries though, because they are baked in the oven and not even remotely fried.  

  

You need about one potato per person.  I used russets, though I'm not sure if you could use yukons (which I normally prefer).  

  

Wash and scrub the potatoes thoroughly and attempt to dry them a bit before you bake them so the fries are crispy.  

 

Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then cut each slice into several long thin strands.

  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  On a large baking sheet place 1 teaspoon of olive (or grapeseed) oil and rub it around with a paper towel or the back of a spoon.

  

Place the potato strips on the pan and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.

  

Toss well and spread evenly in the pan.  Bake at 400 degrees, tossing every 10 minutes.  The recipe called for 25-35 minutes, but mine took about 50 minutes to get them crispy enough.  I definitely recommend leaving them in for long enough so they can crisp up.  

  

Make sure they are browned and delicious, or life isn't worth living.  

 

Top with kosher salt and Herbes de Provence.  I didn't think the herbs would necessary, but it really does bring the fries to the next level.  I've never had oven-baked fries that taste this great.  They taste like steak fries, because they clearly have a real potato flavor as opposed to McDonald's fries which taste like something...else. 

"Fries" with Herbes de Provence

From Joy the Baker

2 russet potatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil for pan, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for potatoes

Kosher salt

Herbes de Provence

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the baking sheet and spread around with the bottom of a spoon or paper towel.  Slice potatoes in 1/3-inch slices and cut into smaller strips.  Toss potatoes with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.  Spread potatoes evenly in pan and bake at 400 degrees for 35-50 minutes, tossing the fries every 10 minutes.  Don't remove until the fries are browned and crispy.  Top with kosher salt and Herbes de Provence.