Seasoned Fries
In college, there was a BBQ restaurant near my apartment that I spent a large part of my limited budget on. I usually stuck with a pork sandwich because it was delicious and inexpensive, but my friend always went big with the Working Man’s Platter. That she was no taller than 5'1" and was certainly the furthest thing from a “working man” didn’t matter. Of course, she could never finish it which suited me just fine because the seasoned fries left on her plate were my favorite thing ever. You couldn’t eat one without licking your fingers after which tells you that they were GOOD. I’ve thought about those fries often and decided to recreate them to go with our BBQ feast. Can I tell you, these are even better than I remembered them.
Ingredients:
Makes 4-6 servings.
2 pounds of Yukon gold or russet potatoes (both will work, truly!)
lots of hot water to soak the potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and grab a large baking sheet (or two if needed). While your oven is preheating, cut the potatoes into ¼ inch fries. Put them in a large mixing bowl and cover with hot water for about 10 minutes. You don’t want it boiling, but I usually just warm the water in my kettle and then pour over top. This step gives you extra crispy fries, but you can totally skip it (I often do!). Drain the water and pat the potatoes dry with a clean kitchen towel. Coat the bottom of the baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Put the potatoes on the oiled sheet tray and drizzle the rest of the oil over top. Sprinkle the salt, paprika, and garlic powder over top as well. Use your hands to rub the potatoes with the oil and seasonings and pat them into an even layer. Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes. After that, use a thin metal spatula to gently flip the fries. No need to do them individually, just do it in sections. Cook for another 15 minutes until nice and crispy! Enjoy!
