Really Good (Oven) Fries

As I read the headline, “French fry fire leaves up to 50 people homeless”, I shuddered. Having witnessed one or two French fry fires growing up, (no Mom, I have no idea why there is soot covering the front of the kitchen cabinets over the stove), I swore off making deep-fried potatoes long ago. Oven fries were a completely different matter. But finding a recipe that produced crisp potatoes with a creamy interior and didn’t smoke up the kitchen with an excessive amount of oil was no easy feat. That is until I tried this recipe for Really Good (Oven) Fries, by Lan Lam, published in Cook’s Illustrated magazine, January/February 2018.

Really Good (Oven) Fries

This recipe calls for a coating the potatoes in a thick cornstarch slurry. Instead of dusting the cornstarch directly on the potatoes, which can leave a chalky film in your mouth, making a cornstarch slurry and heating it up in the microwave, creates a batter that coats the potatoes instead of sliding off. When traditional French fries are fried, water is rapidly driven out of the starch cells at the surface of the potato, leaving behind tiny cavities. It’s these cavities that create a delicate, crispy crust. Since oven fries don’t heat fast enough for air pockets to form, instead the potatoes are coated in a cornstarch slurry that crisps up like a deep-fried potato would. Spraying the baking sheet with cooking spray before adding the oil, allows the oil in the pan to spread out and form an even coating on the surface of the baking sheet. This prevents the fries from sticking and also allows the use of just 3 tablespoons of oil to make these crispy fries. And of those 3 tablespoons, I think that only a little more than half is absorbed by the fries. Hard to believe? Try it.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat the oven to 425 F.  Generously spray a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. The baking spray allows the oil to spread evenly in the pan. Pour the oil onto the prepared sheet and tilt the pan until the surface is evenly coated with oil.

Assemble your ingredients. Yukon Gold potatoes are recommended in this recipe for their buttery taste and because they they have thin skins. Scrub the potatoes well and pat them dry. Do not peel them. Halve the potatoes lengthwise and turn the halves cut side down on a cutting board. Trim a thin slice from both long sides of each potato half; discard the trimmings. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into ⅓- to ½-inch-thick planks. Cutting the potatoes into planks creates slices with two flat sides and enhances browning and crisping.

Combine ¾ cup water and cornstarch in large bowl, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain on the bottom of the bowl. Microwave the mixture, stirring every 20 seconds, until it begins to thicken, after 1 to 3 minutes. (There was no change at all the first minute in my microwave and the transition from thin slurry to a thick pudding-like mixture can occur anytime after that point). Remove the bowl from the microwave. If the mixture is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons water to achieve the correct consistency. Add the potatoes to the bowl and coat well with the thickened cornstarch mixture.

Arrange the cut potato planks on the prepared baking sheet, leaving small spaces between them. Cut off a large sheet of aluminum foil and spray it with baking spray. Cover the baking sheet tightly with the aluminum foil greased side down and bake for 12 minutes. Covering the baking sheet with foil for the first half of cooking allows the potatoes to steam and ensures that they are fully tender by the time they are browned. After 12 minutes, remove the foil from the baking sheet and bake until bottom of each fry is golden brown, 10 to 18 minutes (I baked them for 15 minutes). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully flip each fry. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue to bake until the second sides are golden brown, 10 to 18 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the fries with ½ teaspoon salt. Using a spatula, carefully toss the fries to distribute the salt. Transfer fries to a paper towel–lined plate and season with more salt to taste, if desired. Serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Really Good (Oven) Fries

Vegetables and Sides

By Lan Lam, Cook's Illustrated, January/February 2018 – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 42 minutes – Total Time: 52 minutes

Oven fries with a crackling, crisp bite and a moist and creamy interior.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled (about 6 medium potatoes)
• ¾ cup water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Salt

Instructions

1

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat the oven to 425 F.  Generously spray a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Pour the oil onto the prepared sheet and tilt the pan until the surface is evenly coated with oil.

2

Scrub the potatoes well and pat them dry. Do not peel them. Halve the potatoes lengthwise and turn the halves cut side down on a cutting board. Trim a thin slice from both long sides of each potato half; discard the trimmings. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into ⅓- to ½-inch-thick planks.

3

Combine ¾ cup water and cornstarch in large bowl, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain on the bottom of the bowl. Microwave the mixture, stirring every 20 seconds, until it begins to thicken, after 1 to 3 minutes. (There was no change at all the first minute in my microwave and the transition from thin slurry to a thick pudding-like mixture can occur anytime after that point). Remove the bowl from the microwave. If the mixture is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons water to achieve the correct consistency. Add the potatoes to the bowl and coat well with the thickened cornstarch mixture.

4

Arrange the cut potato planks, coated in the cornstarch slurry, on the prepared baking sheet, leaving small spaces between them. Cut off a large sheet of aluminum foil and spray it with baking spray. Cover the baking sheet tightly with the aluminum foil greased side down, and bake for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the foil from the baking sheet and bake until bottom of each fry is golden brown. This will take between 10 to 18 minutes (I baked them for 15 minutes). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully flip each fry. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue to bake until the second sides are golden brown, 10 to 18 minutes longer.

5

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the fries with ½ teaspoon salt. Using a spatula, carefully toss the fries to distribute the salt. Transfer fries to a paper towel–lined plate and season with more salt to taste, if desired. Serve immediately.