Convection Oven Perfect Fries

Who doesn’t love a perfect batch of hot, salty French fries?  I know I do! Can you make them successfully in the oven to avoid all that extra fat?  YES!  Will they actually turn out crispy and delicious?  Yes!  I’ve made them for years in the oven.  I’m not going to lie, they are not McDonald’s fries which I have a serious weakness for. (Yes I know they are about as far from natural as possible!)  But for making quick dinners at home WITHOUT deep frying, they are pretty tasty.  I use my convection oven for even heating but a regular oven will work also.

Ingredients:

Good quality potatoes – I usually figure 1 large potato per person but you can do more.  Just don’t overload your pan or they will turn out soggy.

Olive oil or other healthy oil of our choice

Sea Salt

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  First slice your potatoes into whatever size French fry you choose.  You can even use a mandolin for this.  Next, toss the fries in a bowl with about 2 tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt or whatever seasoning you like.  Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil.  I like to use this Misto sprayer that allows you to put your own oil in it and spray just like a non-stick cooking spray but without all the extra junk and chemicals. 

Spread your potatoes evenly on the cookie sheet making sure they are not overlapping.  If they are, simply get another cookie sheet going.  Bake at 450 for about 10-12 minutes.  Using a spatula, turn the fries over, lightly re-spray the tops and bake another 10-12 minutes until golden brown. 

Tip:  Maybe you buy large bags of potatoes at a time or like us, you visited a pick-your-own farm and now you have so many potatoes you don’t what to do with them!  You can slice up your potatoes, blanch them for about 1-3 minutes then cool and let dry on a towel or paper towel.  Place on wax paper on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Once they are frozen you can put them in a zip lock or food saver bag and return to the freezer.  This way you always have good quality French fries on hand!  No more bags of questionable potatoes with extra ingredients.