Who doesn’t love French fries? Crispy sticks of deliciousness that you can eat with your fingers? Just be careful not to accidentally nibble a finger when devouring these! All you need is a little olive oil, a good potato, and a pinch of coarse salt to make a fry that is much healthier (and dare I say, tastier) than it’s deep fried cousin.
Begin by preheating your oven to 425. While that’s happening, scrub your potatoes, making sure there are no eyes or blemishes.
Using a good knife, slice your potato in half lengthwise. Place the flat sides down on your cutting board before carefully slicing the rest of the potato lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices (or slightly less).
Lay those slices flat and cut them lengthwise into 1/2 inch sticks. A little size variation is ok.
The next part depends on how low-fat you want your fries to be. Place your fries into a large mixing bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil until just coated, about 1-2 teaspoons per potato. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and toss again. Lightly spray your rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Arrange your fries in a single layer on the baking sheet (for crispiness-otherwise the ones piled on top get a little soggy).
Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, carefully turning with a spatula about halfway through cooking time. Serve immediately.
As the Springdell seasons progress, you’ll find that you can toss these fries with other herbs and spices of your choice. Here are a few suggestions: browned butter sage, rosemary garlic, chile cumin lime, lemon pepper, honey Sriracha… This recipe also works great with sweet potatoes, kohlrabi and rutabaga.
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Oh no we sprouted! Please no worries!
As you go through the potato bin, you might find a few that are sprouting. This is a good thing! It shows that these potatoes have not been sprayed with the industrial strength growth retardants of the commercial farms. You can of course cut these little sprouts off and eat the potato as per usual. If your potatoes have started to get a little too wilty to enjoy, fear not! Keep them in a cool spot in your basement and let them continue their sprouting activities. In the spring, you can plant these “seed potatoes” and grow full plants of your own! Even if you don’t have a garden, try to plant them in a shopping bag with enough dirt to cover them. As the plant grows, cover it with more dirt. If all goes well, you’ll have grown a bag full of potatoes come summer! (Be warned, however. You may wind up with an abundance of potatoes yourself…) The beautiful cycle of life continues!
