Who doesn’t love fries? I am yet to meet someone who steps forward and says, ‘anything but fries’. All that crunchy goodness and chewy texture makes you an addict. And the taste. The TASTE!! Yumm. You don’t believe me? Well, if you thought McDonalds made billions just by selling burgers, think again. Fries had a lot to do with it.
And when you deep fry carbs in oil, and you are an addict, you are also in a lot of trouble. Best would be not to eat them at all. But that wouldn’t do, would it? They SO GOOD! And if you ever have bought and loved the store bought Zesty fries like I did – these are fries seasoned with delicate spices – you love them even more.
Like with any other frozen food, the store bought fires come packed with preservatives, something I am not a big fan of. I am still OK with eating cream and deep fried foods, as long as they have been made from scratch. Frozen foods are not very high on my grocery list. I do keep some from time to time, but I like to make fresh if I can.
And because we all love fries so much, I had to experiment to see if I could replicate the Zesty fries (from Ore Ida).
And I was able to indeed!! My kids have these by the bowl. They are happy because they are munching on something sinful, while I am happy because I am not feeding them fries out of a frozen packet or deep fried in oil that are never good for anyone. A win win situation. The best part? They are super easy and very quick to make.
These are good for those soccer evenings where you need a lot of munching food and don’t want to spend hours in front of the stove cooking, sautéing or frying. You can also prep ahead of time so that all you will need to do is to bake them and serve them.
Seasoned Zesty Homemade French fries from scratch
- 1 lbs of Idaho Potatoes
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp of red chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika (mild,should be made of capsicum/bell pepper)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp of garlic salt
- ½ tsp white pepper powder
- 1 Bowl of water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- PAM cooking spray (or brush and oil)
- Peel the potatoes, and slice them length wise into long strips as in French fries
- Mix salt and lemon juice in the bowl of water.
- Immerse the potatoes in this water for half an hour ( you can keep this up to 24 hours, refrigerated).
- Strain and discard the water.
- Set the oven to preheat at 350 degree F.
- Place the potato wedges on an aluminum sheet because you want the potatoes to be moist to be able to soak in spices.
- Sprinkle with all the spices except paprika.
- Now sprinkle rice flour. Using your fingers, gently turnover the wedges so that they are well coated with rice flour. It does not have to cover the fries completely.
- Transfer the aluminum sheet directly on the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the fries with paprika
- Raise the oven temperature to 400 degree F and bake for another 10 minutes till the fries are golden.
- If you want even more crispy fries, broil the fries for 2 minutes (keep an eye, you don’t want charred fries).
- Enjoy with ketchup and hot sauce.
Ooooooh so these were the fries
Wow my friend, they look so crunchy, delicious and addictive – how do you do it!
Cheers
CCU
CCU recently posted..Happy 1st Birthday Go Bake Yourself + International Giveaway
hahaha! lol! yes these were the ones. Thanks so much! Just the way you do those absolutely delightful creations. At your age I considered myself lucky if I my omelet turned OK.
These look even better than the ones that you buy-and as you say, there is so much unnecessary junk in them!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Meet My Suburb: Burwood
Yup! Thanks so much Lorraine!
hah, what a timing, I just made fries yesterday (after a looong time). That’s an interessting recipe, I bet they are very flavoreful. Instead of adding lemon into the fries and water, I add coconut vinegar. I think so the acidity helps in making them nice crispy. I am not sure though about my discovery. At least the vinegar kills bacteria so it has one benefit for sure. Next time I make fries I ll try your version Minnie! thanks fro sharing dear!
Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb recently posted..Comment on Baked Layered Polenta Casserole by Helene Dsouza
Coconut vinegar should work fine too. If I run out of lemon juice, white vinegar has always been my next best option. Thanks so much Helene
Minnie recently posted..Zesty Fries–Baked and Homemade from scratch
I LOVE FRIIIESSSS!!!
These look awesome! I love that you baked them but they’re still crispy looking! Mmmm
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) recently posted..Nun’s Puffs
Fries are really fun when they have a wee bit of crunch. Not like chips, but just a bit firm. Thanks Kayle
I love the idea of the rice flour to help crisp them. Haven’t seen that before. Thanks!
Victoria of Flavors of the Sun recently posted..Gingerbread Biscotti and a Nonconversation
Thanks so much! And thanks so much for coming by
Hi Minnie – these look fantastic… do you know what the lemon juice in the soak does? I’m curious about that! I guess the rice flour helps make them crisp, right? I wonder if I could use potato starch instead? Wonder how it would turn out. I’m going to try these next time – they look fabulous!
The lemon juice gives a wee bit touch of acidity to the fries, and also helps to keep them looking fresh and white till you are ready to fry them, especially if you are going to store them for a while before frying. Potatoes turn black pretty quick, so lemon definitely reduces the chances of oxidation.
I guess you could use potato starch.I have never used it. The reason I used rice flour is because I felt it added more body to the fries and helped bind the spices to the wedges. It also does not burn easily, so that is a big plus point. I would love to know how potato starch would work here.
The fries look delicious. By soaking them you are also removing the carbs so this is really a healthy dish.
Mina Joshi recently posted..Tomato and coriander soup – Simple & Healthy with no fat added
I love fries, and you said “baked”? Nice, that’s extra +! Japanese usually soak potatoes in water (I don’t see too many recipes mention about it) but next time I’ll do with salt and lemon. Thanks for the recipe!
Nami | Just One Cookbook recently posted..Nutella Banana Bread
Hey Nami, thanks so much!! I think it might be an Asian thing – there have been a lot of cross influences over the centuries as far as our countries go. Lemon juice is something I do – it keeps the potatoes longer and fresh looking.
Thank you so much for guest posting on CCU’s blog – that child has more exams! I love the fajita recipe but the homemade baked french fries are so great!!! I think I can try that sometime very soon!
Kalamity Kelli recently posted..Coconut Roulade with Rum Buttercream for National Cake Day
Thank you so much Kalamity
So nice to have you over.
Oh these look so yummy! I am sure my kids would love them too!!
GourmetGetaways recently posted..Top Drop – Roses Vineyard Port Macquarie
Thanks so much!! Yes, they are a huge hit with my kids too