French Fries are definitely a favorite at our house. About 35 years ago when we were transitioning to a healthier lifestyle, it was a must to “fix the fries”. Here is a simple recipe that you can tweak to suit yourselves. Some of our kids (who aren’t kids anymore) make them with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt; sometimes I like a sprinkling of garlic salt. The day of this photo, we were using new red potatoes with the skins. Years ago when I was in my teens one of the drive-ins served fries with a mix of ketchup and mayo which is still a tasty combination. My husband prefers the flavor of the potato and seasonings without sauces or dips. For those who are on a very low-fat diet, a light misting of food release spray or no oil at all will still work, just be sure to spread them on prepared parchment paper. The paprika does a great job of “browning”. Sweet potatoes also make a great fry. Sprinkle lightly with lemon or lime juice and stir before adding seasonings of your choice; garlic salt and nutritional yeast are my favorite.
- potatoes --any kind will do
- higher-temp oil --I like avocado
- paprika
- salt
- additional seasonings as desired
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp nutritional food yeast flakes
- 3/4 tsp garlic granules or powder
- 3/4 tsp onion granules or powder
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp McKay's Chicken-style Seasoning, Vegan, opt.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Scrub, clean, peel if desired, pat dry and cut potatoes into 1/2-inch fries. Put into a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle oil over potatoes--approximately 1/2 teaspoon per average potato.
- Sprinkle potatoes with salt and paprika. Stir well to coat evenly.
- Place on nonstick cookie sheet or parchment paper.--Separate pieces to keep them from sticking together.
- Bake approximately 20 minutes at 400°--time varies with size of potato slices. Poke with a fork or cake tester to see if they are cooked in the middle.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees or 400 degrees convection.
- Combine all the seasonings, mixing well. You can keep them stored in a sealed container. I like to use a spice shaker with fairly large holes.
- Scrub and clean potatoes. Cut into 1/2 inch fries. Do not dry potatoes! Sprinkle with Seasoning mix as needed to coat all sides and lay them on parchment or silicone pad, separating the pieces so they can cook evenly.
- Bake for approximately 12 minutes and then turn the fries over for more even browning. Return to oven and bake an additional 10-12 minutes. Check so they do not burn, and make sure they are done in the middle.