These parmesan truffle fries taste just like something you’d order with a burger at a restaurant. With crispy edges, soft centers and the perfect amount of truffle flavor combined with salty parmesan, fresh herbs and zesty lemon, they’re the best fry you’ll ever taste.
We moved to the middle of no-where central New York state three summers ago. I work from home, we live in a heavily Amish populated area and we have no kids. What does all that equate to? The literal impossibility of making friends or having any social life whatsoever when you’re middle aged.
It’s a gorgeous area (in the summer) but it’s incredibly lonely and if I’m being 100% honest, I feel a bit stir crazy most of the time. Why am I telling you all this? Because the one highlight to every week has been that we’re now “regulars” at Ommegang Brewery which is nearby. I don’t even drink beer (save a few sips of my husband’s) and usually order hop water or a 5 ounce pour of cider (if I’m being really crazy).
I go because of the food and the social scene, but mainly the food.
And the one thing you are guaranteed to find me stuffing my face with every Friday late afternoon is their parmesan truffle fries. They hand cut the potatoes, send them out piping hot and somehow manage the perfect balance of parmesan crumbles, truffle oil and lemon zest. They’re heaven.
Why You’ll Fall In Love With These Fries
- Restaurant quality without being fried — While nothing beats a great restaurant fry, they’re always deep fried. Baking these at home makes them much healthier and more of an everyday side dish.
- Easy to make — Deep frying at home is a mess. The oven-baked parmesan truffle fries are so much easier and they can even be made in the air fryer too.
- They level up any burger or steak — Serving these with your favorite burger or steak (they make an excellent choice for steak frites) immediately takes dinner to the next level.
The Key To Good Truffle Fries
Truffle oil can be a bit polarizing. Some people love it while others think it’s totally overwhelming and overdone. I can understand that because oftentimes, it is.
A quality truffle fry needs to balance the potent truffle oil with other flavors so it’s not so in your face. It’s also meant to be used as a finishing oil, not a cooking oil.
Using lemon, parmesan and fresh herbs helps balance all the flavors together, and a light hand on the truffle oil is just as important. A little goes a long way when it comes to truffle flavor.
Different Truffle Oils
Truffle oil isn’t a one-size fits all thing, there are different varieties, most differentiated by the color of the oil and intensity of flavor.
Black truffle oil is much more pungent than lighter varieties. For these truffle fries, I like to use white truffle oil. It’s got a much tamer flavor profile and doesn’t overpower all the other ingredients. If you can only find black truffle oil, use half the amount and cut it with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil to mellow it out.
Ingredients To Make Parmesan Truffle Fries
Fries are quick and simple but ingredient quality matters even more in recipes like this. Look for the freshest and highest quality potatoes, oil, parmesan and herbs you can find.
- Russet potatoes: I find fluffy Idaho russets to make the best fries but waxier potatoes like Yukon Gold will also work. If you like crispy edges and a fluffy, soft inside to your fries, stick with russets.
- Avocado oil: This neutral oil is the perfect blank canvas for baking the fries to help them crisp up well.
- Spices: For some flavor you’ll be using salt, pepper and garlic powder. I actually prefer garlic granules to powder for this recipe. For true garlic lovers, you can skip the spice and add some freshly minced garlic to the fries when they’re hot out of the oven along with the truffle oil, parm, lemon zest and parsley.
- Truffle oil: As the main flavor component of these fries, choose a high quality lighter colored truffle oil.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan brings the perfect salty bite to each fry. Grate your own and if you need a substitution, pecorino Romano works well too.
- Lemon zest: Freshly grated lemon zest brightens all the savory flavors on the fries and livens up each bite. Save the lemon and cut into wedges for serving.
- Fresh parsley: Fresh herbs are a must with parmesan truffle fries and parsley works perfectly.
How To Make Truffle Fries
This is a quick run-down of how to make the fries, the full recipe card can be found below with detailed ingredient quantities and a full set of directions.
- Cut the potatoes into fry shape and toss with the avocado oil and spices.
- Spread the fries out onto a baking sheet in an even layer so they’re not overlapping.
- Bake the fries in a 425°F oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping the fries halfway through until they’re golden brown and crispy around the edges.
- Immediately transfer the hot fries to a large bowl, drizzle with the truffle oil and add the parmesan, lemon zest and fresh parsley. Gently toss to combine and serve.
My Pro Tips
Helpful Tips
- Soak the fries for an extra crispy result. A 30 minute pre-soak in cold water helps remove the excess starch from the potatoes. Dry them well before continuing on with the recipe, but this will help get extra crispy edges if you have the time to do it before baking.
- Use the convection setting if you have it. Fries are the perfect recipe to showcase your oven’s convection setting. This will also help with the crispy texture of the fries.
- Fresh parmesan is a must. Don’t use pre-shredded parmesan here. You want a nice fresh chunk of parm that you’ll grate right before tossing with the fries for the best flavor.
- Use an air fryer for a quicker recipe. The air fryer is great for making quick work of all types of potato recipes (like air fryer hasselback potatoes, air fryer baby potatoes, air fryer red potatoes and air fryer sweet potatoes) and truffle fries are no different. Air fry at 400°F for 15-20 minutes to cut down the total cooking time for this recipe.
- Turn the toppings into a gremolata. Since you’re already chopping and grating the parmesan, parsley and lemon zest, you can make a little extra of all three, combine it in a bowl and use it as a gremolata on other dishes. It would be great on this air fryer ribeye or filet mignon, both of which would pair wonderfully with the parmesan truffle fries.
Storage and Reheating
These fries taste best and are really meant to be eaten straight away. You probably won’t have leftovers anyway once you taste how delicious they are, but if you do, they can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated on a baking sheet in the oven or air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until hot.
Serve The Fries With One Of These Burgers
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Grilled Halloumi Lamb Burger
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Elk Burgers
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Juicy Bison Burgers
Burgers + Sandwiches
BBQ Beef Beet Burgers with Avocado Goat Cheese Smash
Parmesan Truffle Fries
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons white truffle oil
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and cut potatoes into fries. Pat dry with a clean towel.
- In a large bowl, toss fries with avocado oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Spread fries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
- Transfer hot fries to a bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil and toss gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
