Garlic Herb Oven Fries

French fries definitely fall into the category of my top five favourite foods. That may be a bold statement, but I don’t think I could ever get sick of a good french fry. I like to use russet or kennebec potatoes. Both varieties have good starchiness, which lends to perfect final texture: crispy exterior, fluffy interior.  A great accompaniment to a burger or a sandwich, and equally amazing on their own. I could eat an entire plate, maybe even an entire tray of these fries.

I started making my own oven fries in order to avoid the heavily pesticide, herbicide and fungicide laden “conventional” (or as I like to call it high input industrialized chemical farmed). This type of farming, that is considered the norm, is detrimental to not only the environment but also to the farm workers who are exposed to these harmful toxins and also the consumer. After learning about “conventional” potatoes (too commonly found on the “dirty dozen” list) I now ONLY buy (or grow when I have the space) organic potatoes. This means I can safely leave the nutritious skins on, without any worry of ingesting harmful chemicals.

I would describe a potato as a sturdy staple vegetable, that can be dependably stored under the right conditions. It drives me mad that every time I  visit my parents, I find their potatoes stored in the fridge. I would not recommend this seeing that fridge temperature (~4 °C) or colder cause potato starches to convert into sugars leading to a sweeter potato (compromising the true flavour and starch content of a good potato.) Instead store them in a cool cupboard, away from light exposure which can cause them to turn green and bitter. Potatoes are easy to grow, rewarding you treasure hunt like-experience of digging for the precious spuds, and they also contain more potassium then a banana! 

With my current garden exploding with fresh herbs I thought they would add a nice fresh flavour to the fries. I often make these fries simply tossed in salt and they never disappoint! I think the trick with these is to only flip them once (or minimally) to allow the sides to get nice and crispy.

Garlic Herb Oven Fries
Makes enough for 2 large or 4 small  sides

• 2 lbs or 4 large potatoes
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil (or other stable, neutral oil)
• 1 Tbsp. parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chives
• 1 tsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt

Pre heat oven to 450 °F.

Lengthwise, slice potatoes to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness. Cut slices into 1/4 inch strips. Drizzle oil over rimmed baking tray and toss potatoes in oil coating evenly. Spread fries out into a single layer on tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, flip fries. Return tray to oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until fries are fully cooked, brown and crispy on the outside and still soft on the inside.

Scatter herbs and garlic evenly over fries, toss to coat potatoes and return to oven for 2-3 more minutes. (Keep an eye on them and remove from oven before garlic burns which would give a bitter flavour.)

Season to taste with salt and serve with your favourite french fry condiment.

I love to use my fries as a vessel for a mayonnaise based lemon and black pepper aioli! (mix a few tablespoons of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of lemon juice some black pepper and one clove minced garlic.)