Healthy French Fries Recipe

If French fries are your favorite guilty pleasure, and you especially like the fast food version from In-N-Out, Mickey D's or Arby's (those curly ones are amazing), I doubt home-made potato sticks will satisfy your grease craving. It would be like substituting fat-free cheese for the real thing. No bueno!

But if you are in search of an easy, tasty, salty, potato treat, then keep reading.

I love French fries. Always have. In high-school a typical lunch for me was TCBY and an order of fries. Sweet paired with salty. Nothing is better! (Hence why I love Barbara's Peanut Butter Puffins so much.)

Anyway, fast food fries don't really do it for me. The grease coats my mouth masking the taste, and once the fries cool, even a little, the taste goes further downhill. So I've started making my own and I love them--MORE than the fast food version!

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HINTS

First, use any type of potato that you like. Do NOT peel. Wash and slice in fry shape. I often pick up the mixed bag of small potatoes at Trader Joe's. There are yellow, white, purple and red. All good.

Second, use a high quality roasting pan and make sure your fries are in a SINGLE layer.

Third, leftover fries warmed up and thrown on a salad are excellent. The potatoes will soak up the salad's flavors and add some bulk.

Fourth, cooking times will vary!!!

Fifth, for the last few minutes of cooking, try sprinkling some Parmesan (the good stuff) on your fries. Take out once the cheese browns -- 2 to 3 minutes.

Recipe:

Potatoes
salt
pepper
olive oil or cooking spray
your favorite dipping sauce
*Optional -- Parmesan or Romano -- See fifth hint above.

Directions

PRE-heat oven to 425 (make sure you preheat)

1. Wash potatoes, cut in fry shape, pat dry
2. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and/or olive oil.
3. Two options here: a) toss your fries with a little olive oil and/or cooking spray, salt and pepper and then layer in pan OR b) simply salt and pepper the fries once in the pan and spray again.
4. Bake for 17-22 minutes. (I like them pretty well done.) Check on them. Once well browned, stir and bake an additional 10 minutes.
6. If opting for Parmesan, sprinkle cheese and bake 2 to 3 minutes.