2lbsorganic russet potatoes, russet are the best choice for perfect crispy fries
3-4tablespoonsstable high-heat appropriate oil*
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Optional seasonings:
Garlic or onion powder, fresh garlic, chile powder, cajun seasonings, smoked paprika, cumin, Italian seasonings and more.
Instructions
Wash and scrub the potatoes, especially if you are leaving the skins on. Which I recommend. Cut the potatoes into even sticks. Do so by hand, with the julienne setting on a mandoline slicer (which is what I do) or one of these fancy things.
Add the fries to a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes but they can soak for as long as overnight. (Place in the fridge if soaking more than an hour). After they have soaked, drain and rinse the fries and lay them on a paper towel lined cooling rack to dry while you preheat the oven to 475ºF. Blot the tops with additional paper towels to grab any excess moisture.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and evenly coat that with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the potatoes to a dry bowl, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of oil and a little sea salt and pepper. Toss around to mix. Evenly line the baking pan with the fries in a single layer. Don't overlap or they fries won't cook properly. Bake at 475 for approximately 35 minutes, tossing around once or twice after 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven when they are brown and crispy to your liking.
Serve immediately with your favorite seasonings and your favorite dipping sauce(s). Try my Spicy Garlic Aioli below.
Notes
You want to select an oil that is meant for high heat cooking. Oils that are dominated by saturated fat are the most stable for high heat cooking, monounsaturated oils suited for high heat cooking are moderately stable and polyunsaturated dominant fats are highly unstable and should be avoided when cooking at all. I suggest ghee, lard, tallow, coconut oil or duck fat, etc. Avocado oil is OK, but not as good of an option and vegetable oils like canola, soybean, grapeseed oil, etc - these should be avoided.