The Food Section RSS« Truffle Snuffle | Main | Agenda: Beer, Cheese, and Flavor »
January 18, 2008
Oven-Roasted Fries
The January issue of Bon Appétit declared that french fries were the "indulgence of the year." That claim is open to debate, of course (I'd give a lifetime achievement award to burrata). But, more useful was the accompanying article with recipes for french fries by chef Suzanne Tracht of Jar in Los Angeles.
The piece included a recipe for making twice-cooked (deep fried) french fries and oven-roasted fries. I took the easy way out and made the roasted fries, which are barely even a recipe: just combine potatoes, salt, and oil and bake for 45 minutes (I needed a little extra time for them to brown, but that may be due to the eccentricities of my oven). Could anything be easier? And, the result was fantastic -- crisp, golden brown wedges of potatoes that was perfect with a grilled skirt steak, but would go with any grilled or roasted fish or meat.
The recipe seems open to endless variations. Chef Tracht suggests mixing up purple and russet potatoes. But, why not improvise further? What about substituting extra virgin olive oil for (relatively flavorless) canola oil? Or, how about tossing some fresh herbs or lemon zest with the potatoes before serving?
»Oven-Roasted Fries [Bon Appetit]
Posted by Josh Friedland on Jan 18, 2008 in Dining In, Featured | Permalink
| Comments (5)
|
| 
| 
Comments
My sister grates ginger over the potatoes and add's some springs of Rosemary. Delicious.
Also for the ultimate potatoes, try roasting in goose fat.
Posted by: Chris Fleming at Jan 18, 2008 11:10:42 AM
This seems like it's basically the old British stand-by - roast potatoes - in a new shape. As I have an English husband, I know them backwards and forwards. Some other great things to try: toss a bit of goose fat or the skin from a duck breast in the pan, or sprinkle with fresh thyme, a little lemon juice and salt, olive oil and rosemary...the possibilities are endless. If you boil the potatoes briefly first (not enough to cook them through) they come out even more tender and fluffy on the inside, while still beautifully caramelised and crispy on the outside!
Posted by: Meg at Jan 24, 2008 4:59:03 PM
Goose fat? Nice! yeah I've made it chicken fat actually. Also curry powder is great too for a little spice.
Posted by: simon at Jan 30, 2008 9:58:21 PM
What am I doing wrong...I copied the recipe for oven roasted fries and they did not brown, they just got soggy and cooked? Certainly not like a french fry more like a baked potatoe
Posted by: Natalie Sztern at Jan 31, 2008 6:17:28 PM
Hmmm. I don't know exactly why that happened.
For what its worth, when I made the recipe, the oven temperature actually dipped for down for a while for some unexplainable reason, so I actually ended up cranking up the heat and cooking them longer to make sure they were brown. That could have made a difference in my case.
Also, the wedges are pretty skinny -- only 1/2 to 1/3 inch thick.
Posted by: Josh at Feb 1, 2008 9:06:23 AM
