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Hi everyone and happy Saturday, especially to those battening down the hatches for tropical storm Hermine!
This is only my third post (and second about potatoes). Are you detecting a theme/obsession here? Maybe it’s my Scotch-Irish heritage but I sure do love taters. These guys pictured above in my great-grandmother’s beautiful glassware (note the coffee filter liner- brilliant idea, Tara!) are really easy and crazy-tasty. Crisp, salty, flavorful and comforting-perfect for a stormy day. And, of course, 100% vegan.
I played around with this recipe until I found the right formula for firm, but not dry or greasy, oven fries.
For four people I used two pounds of Idaho russet potatoes. If you don’t have a scale, that’s about 6-7 medium sized as pictured. Cutting the potatoes into fairly uniform strips will prevent little runts from getting too crispy. I also found that a good hour bath in salty water (remember learning about osmosis in chem class? well, there was a reason for that) helps to dehydrate them a bit and increase the crisp factor. So does leaving them in the oven for a while after it is turned off.
I added fresh garlic, basil, sea salt and vegan parmesan -click here for recipe from the Minimalist Baker- to give these babies the wow factor. My only suggestion is to make a lot, because they will surely go fast!
- 2 pounds of russet potatoes scrubbed, dried and cut into 1/4" or so strips
- water to cover cut potatoes
- 1/4 cup kosher salt plus 1-2 tsp.
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil melted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 tbsp vegan parmesan
- sea salt to taste
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Prepare two baking sheets or jelly roll pans by covering with parchment paper, aluminum foil sprayed with high heat cooking spray or silicone baking mats.
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Prepare potato strips and place in large bowl.
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Cover potatoes with fresh water and add 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir.
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Let sit for about an hour.
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Move oven racks to lowest rungs and preheat oven to 450 F.
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After 60 minutes, drain and rinse potatoes and lay on towel to dry.
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Gently press with paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
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Dry out bowl used to soak potatoes.
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Place prepared and empty baking sheets in oven for about 5 minutes.
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Add melted coconut oil and 1-2 tsp kosher salt to bowl.
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Add dried potatoes and using your hands, coat them in oil/salt mixture.
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Rinse hands.
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Carefully remove baking sheets from oven and divide potatoes between baking sheets, taking care to keep potatoes from overlapping.
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Place back in oven for 30 min, flipping potatoes after 15 min.
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After 30 min, turn oven off and leave fries in oven for an additional 15 minutes.
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While the fries are doing their thing in the oven, prepare the after dressing in the bowl used to coat the fries. After the final 15 minutes of resting in the "off" oven, the fries are ready to be coated in the after dressing. Sprinkle with the vegan parm and serve.
Are French fries French? American? Belgian? Spanish? Most sources credit Thomas Jefferson for bringing the French fry to America, via France, but trace the original fried potato to Belgium. These fried wonders became popular in the states during the early 1900's, though their first written mention is attributed to Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon c. 1553! More fascinating sound bites can be found at http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/08/are-french-fries-truly-french/
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