These are perfectly crispy rosemary baked fries. Just a quick soak of 10 minutes leads to the best baked fry I’ve ever tasted.
The elusive perfectly crisp baked fry. I’ve been chasing it for years.
There was the slice into circles and spray both sides with cooking spray phase, the spend far too long cutting into matchsticks phase and most recently, giving up on the “fry” look altogether and just roasting in cube form phase.
They all had their downfalls for one reason or another and none really tasted like a legit fry with that perfect crisp exterior and soft inside.
I had pretty much all but given up on hopes of finding a simple recipe that didn’t require hours of soaking or a deep fryer. I’ll pan-fry, hence this portobello fry recipe, but I draw the line at deep frying – such a mess!
And then, I saw this post.
It’s like the clouds opened up and beams of sun came out.
10 minutes of soaking? I can handle that. Parchment paper, oil for tossing and a low rack in the oven? Simple!
I think I was one of the first comments on that post saying I was going to try it out.
And I did.
About 5 times over in the 10 days since it was published.
In my defense, I had 2 CSA bunches in that timeframe both with potatoes that came with the disclaimer “they’re from last year so once they see light, they’ll start to sprout”.
Using them immediately seemed like a better option than finding a dark, damp place for them to hide out in my house.
Despite the smoke alarm going off 3 out of the 5 times and Ginger hiding in the laundry room each and every time, these are hands down the most perfectly crisp baked fry I’ve ever tasted.
For a grilled option, check out these simply seasoned grilled potato wedges.
While the plain are pretty amazing themselves, I opted to spice things up a bit with some seasonings and fresh rosemary.
I know most people think of rosemary as a winter herb, but it’s growing like a weed in a pot on my front steps to point where it’s approaching the size of a small toddler.
Something had to be done.
There’s so many possibilities: garlic and truffle salt, rosemary and parmesan, scallions, even cheddar would be amazing.
I use it on my rosemary garlic parsnip fries and these crispy baked purple sweet potato fries too and it’s just as delicious on those as well!
Give me a week and I’ll probably have tried them all.
The only disappointing thing about these was running out of ketchup midway through and having to use salsa instead.
Not the same.
Make sure to check out how to cut potato wedges first before making these fries!
MORE FRIES LIKE THESE CRISPY ROSEMARY BAKED FRIES
Jicama Fries
Italian Spiced Eggplant Fries
Green Bean Fries
Lemon Dijon Asparagus Fries
Zucchini Fries
Perfectly Crispy Rosemary Baked Fries
Ingredients
- 3 small russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into “fry-like” slices
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oi, divided
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon rosemary + more for garnish, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F degrees and adjust a rack to the second slot from the bottom.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt & pepper.
- In a medium bowl, cover potato slices with hot water and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and pat dry.
- Toss potatoes with remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cayenne, smoked paprika, cumin and additional salt & pepper.
- Spread out into an even single layer on the baking sheet and cover with foil.
- Bake for 5 minutes and then remove foil.
- Bake for another 10 minutes then rotate the pan.
- Bake for another 5 minutes then remove pan from oven, flip each fry individually and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with more salt & pepper to taste and garnish with additional rosemary.
- Enjoy immediately.
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.
I just tried those. They’ve been on my list for a while now and I just made them. Soooooooo delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
awesome, glad you liked them!
Thank you for understanding the absolute essential nature of ketchup to this endeavor. It’s like no one in my house understands this but me.
Made these tonight and they turned out wonderfully!
Then again, perhaps my oven just can’t get hot enough even at the recommended 475. It’s the first time I have cranked the heat up that high in the oven. The parchment paper only browned on the edges, not uniformly like in the photo. I ‘dried out’ the fries in a frying pan on medium heat and we enjoyed our hot potato wedges, with ketchup of course :-)
I’d be surprised if the difference b/w the sheet and the pan would not allow them to crisp up. That’s weird! the temperature of the oven however, is a legit concern. Definitely worth checking the accuracy of the oven to know (for this and all other recipes!) if yours is running low.
Thanks Gina! I will definitely check out the oven…I so want the crispy baked potato fries :-)
I love everything about the recipe + photos, thank-you so much for sharing! I followed the recipe to the letter, except I did not have a baking sheet and used a baking pan instead. The fries smell great but are mushy…..perhaps the high sides of the baking pan held in moisture? Has anyone else had the same experience? I shall persevere and will try this recipe again once I find a baking sheet!
Wow…these are gorgeous! And because they are baked, make me feel just a tad less guilty. Bet this recipe would be great with sweet potatoes as well! The photos were great too. I liked it so much, I posted this on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DeliciousKarma