Oven Baked French Fries

I love French fries but they are such a bother to make and usually, especially because deep frying is usually the method of preparation, the clean up is an even greater bother. In the summers at home I like to pull purple potatoes from my garden and make blue potato chips anyway; there is nothing more delicious.  I would never, however, attempt to do this without a deep fat fryer. 

Here in my little kitchen there is no room for appliances or space for the bother. So I satisfy french fry cravings by making them in the oven which, as it turns out, is an easier method all around and, as a bonus, eliminates the need to dispose of all that oil.

Ingredients:

2 Russet or Idaho potatoes

2 Tbl. Olive oil

Pepper

Preheat the over to 450 degrees.

Slice the potatoes into good sized fries and place them in a bowl of cold water. I leave the skins on because I like them that way. Soaking the potatoes in cold water takes some of the excess starch out of them.

Pour out the water and rinse the potatoes in fresh water. Dry the potatoes and bowl, as best you can, with a paper tower. Pour in the olive oil, black pepper, and mix the potatoes around so that they are coated in oil. (I have tried this by putting the potatoes on a baking sheet and then adding the oil and mixing it around. It never works as effectively as doing it in a bowl.)

Lay the potato slices out on the baking sheet in a single row with air between each slice. This part is important. If the potatoes are too close together or on top of each other they will not get browned evenly and will end up soggy.

Pop the baking sheet into the over and bake for approximately one hour, though if you have laid out the potatoes with precision the baking time may be less.

A special warning: For some reason oven baked French fries seem to have a mind of their own. If I have planned out the timing well, the potatoes will be done earlier than expected. In that case I turn down the oven and let them sit until I’m ready. 

The conundrum comes when they take longer than expected, usually because they have been crowded onto the baking sheet. In that case a decision has to be made; hold up the meal and wait or serve them as a second course. I’ve learned to go with the second course so I don’t get too impatient and end up with soggy fries.