Baked oven fries

Ever since we were first married, Gus and I have made fries together. We even had this potato cutter that cut potatoes into the perfect "fry" form. But we always fried them in canola oil. Unhealthy!! Recently I've switched to baking potatoes in the oven, which we love, but it's not the same crispyness, of course, as fries fried on the stovetop. Enter this recipe! It was on one of the food blogs that I read and and it is a Cook's Illustrated recipe-that is always a trusted source!! I just discovered it and have made it several times. It's your basic oven roasted potato recipe. With one major exception. You peel and cut the potatoes then soak them in water from 10-20 minutes. I'm not sure what this does-I think it draws the starch out from the potato or something? But it makes regular oven fries almost as crispy as our old time fries! Just make sure you don't soak them loner than 20 minutes or they will turn them into mush!

Baked Oven Fries

Ingredients:

• 3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
• 5 tbsp vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F and move an oven rack to the second-lowest position. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with oil and salt & pepper. Arrange the potato wedges on a baking sheet, coated with cooking spray, in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.
4. When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

source: Smells Like Home, Cook’s Illustrated, The New Best Recipe, via Annie’s Eats