Oven Fries

It's no secret that I am a French fry fiend. If I had to cheat on a healthy diet with one food, it would be super salty McDonald's French fries. It's a serious weakness and one I don't indulge in very often. However, I have found a way around my Achilles heel in the form of an oven fry recipe that yields crisp, crunchy fries, which mimic their fried counterparts. In fact, with only a single teaspoon of olive oil contributing the fat content, these oven fries are lower in fat and calories than a baked potato with sour cream or butter. Oh blessed day!

One large baking potato usually is enough for the Irishman and I, but you can alter the amounts of each ingredient to accommodate the number of folks you're going to feed. The best thing about this recipe is that you can also change up the seasonings to suit your taste. I'm going to share with you the spicy fries that I made, but since I initially tried these, I've switched it up to include parsley and garlic salt, which was fantastic.

So for 1 large baking potato, you'll need:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Then, cut your potato into wedges. I personally like super thin wedges so I can make them super crispy. Mix your seasonings together (except for the olive oil) in a small bowl. If your questioning the presence of sugar here, that's the secret ingredient that helps the fries get super crispy. (Is it possible for me to use the word "super" any more times in a single post?)

On a foil-lined cookie sheet, toss your fries with the olive oil until they're completely coated. Sprinkle on the seasoning mix and give them another quick toss to cover all the sides. Pop them in the preheated oven and bake them for 25-30 minutes. Make sure you watch them so that they don't burn, but you do want the edges to be dark golden.

Now just take them out, let them cool if you can stand to wait and dig in. I'm pretty sure that I scorched my mouth no fewer than 4 times, but I couldn't stop eating them. I promise, you won't be disappointed and you definitely won't miss the calories! This, my dears, is my gift to you. Enjoy!