Baked French Fries

So midterms kind of snuck up on me this year, I thought I was doing well and finishing all of my work in a timely manner and then suddenly I had two papers, a project, an exam and three quizzes due in three days. Needless to say my blog kind of fell by the wayside. So did cooking for myself. And eating too.

After my two-week schoolwork bender I’m trying to get back on the bandwagon of being a normal person little by little. Which is where these baked French fries come in. They’re easy, healthy, and really great to make. They’re also a great substitute for actual French fries AND you can make them at home. To me that’s a win-win situation.

These make a great side to a weeknight meal or, they can even be a snack or (if you’re me) they can make a filling, albeit pitiful, substitute for a meal. They cook up quickly, and if you cut them small enough they crisp up really well. So try these soon. You can play with the spices to match whatever meal you’re making, but this is the basic recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 large russet potato

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove finely minced garlic

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp hot paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and cut the potato into long uniform sticks.  I made mine about 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 2-3″. Rinse them off to get rid of the residual starches from cutting.  This prevents the potatoes from browning.

Place potatoes in a bowl and add olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic.  Mix together and place on a baking sheet.

 Bake for 30-45 mintutes depending on size.  Make sure outsides are brown and insides are fully cooked before removing from the oven.

Let cool for a minute and enjoy!