I am obsessed with french fries. And what’s not to love about them? I know each and every one out there reading this post relishes fries as much as I do. But we all know that we are not privileged enough to eat fries everyday.. thanks to its calorie and fat content. Whenever I eat fries, I instantly go on those guilt trips and decide to not touch them for a month. And lets be honest about the fact that though the fries that we eat outside are delicious, they have a lot of preservatives and add-ins. And if we are make our own fries at home, they turn out to be soggy and frying kills all the nutritional value that a potato has. Potatoes as a matter of fact are nutritionally quite dense with high amounts of fiber, potassium, B6 and phosphorus. So here’s my fool proof solution.. Baked fries.

Baked fries are a blessing. I have tried baking fries a couple of times before but they did not turn out as crispy and tasty as the deep fried ones. I have tried different baking methods like soaking the spuds in salt water before baking or boiling them for a 2 – 3 minutes before popping them into the oven or sprinkling some cornstarch while baking but somehow I was never satisfied with the end result. So, lately i decided to just throw the spuds on a baking tray, spray some olive oil and season them with minimal amount of salt and my favorite herbs. And guess what, to my surprise they turned out crisp, tasted so delicious, were perfectly cooked without being soggy or caky and more importantly all the nutrition from the potatoes were kept intact. They tasted better than the fries that we eat at restaurants. I would highly recommend keeping the potato skin on as not only it makes the recipe a lot easier and more nutritious but also yields rustic and even more flavorful fries.

Fries and ketchup is definitely a classic combination but here I made myself two dips to savor my fries with. One is the avocado sauce which is basically just avocado, salt, lime jalapeño, cilantro and some mild salsa verde blended to a smooth sauce like consistency. It’s creamy texture, tangy and refreshing taste goes very well with hot fries. Another dip is the garlic aioli which is made with garlic, mayonnaise, lemon and olive oil. The rich and decadent taste of this aioli instantly uplifts the overall experience of having fries at home.

So go ahead and try making your own homemade fries and I assure that you will not go back to the traditional oil- fried fries. And who says that you cannot eat fries daily? Well, with these real deal baked fries forget about the guilt and just dig into a plate full of fries.

Ingredients

For the fries

• 3 russet potatoes
• Salt as per taste
• Pepper as per taste
• Seasonings of choice (dill, thyme, sage, chives, parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, chili flakes, dried garlic, onion powder)
• Olive oil

For avocado sauce

• 1 avocado, roughly cut
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 jalapeño, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon mild salsa verde (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
• salt as per taste

For garlic aioli

• 2 garlic cloves, pressed and minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt and pepper as per taste

Instructions

• To make the avocado sauce, put all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and blend until it reaches a creamy consistency.
• To make the garlic aioli, nicely mash the minced garlic with salt until it reaches a pasty consistency. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to it and mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
• To make the fries, preheat the oven at 425 degrees F.
• Scrub the russet potatoes and peel if desired. I usually leave the peels on. Slice the potatoes in 1/4 -1/2 inch thick sticks.
• Transfer the sticks to a mixing bowl and add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings of choice. I have chosen to go for oregano, thyme, basil, garlic powder, chili flakes,smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Feel free to play with the seasonings.
• Nicely toss the fries so that they are evenly seasoned.
• Arrange the fries on a lined baking tray. Pop it into the oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes, flipping midway.
• Once the fries are golden brown and crisp, remove from the oven and serve hot with avocado sauce and garlic aioli.