Perfect Seasoned Fries

These seasoned fries taste even better than a restaurant! Bake them until crispy with this magic seasoning blend and prepare to be amazed.

Ingredients for seasoned fries

First up: Let’s talk French fry seasoning. We’ve tinkered with a whole lot of seasoning blends, and come up with this one. It brings out the best savory, salty flavor in your fries. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Smoked paprika: This is the Spanish version of paprika that’s made with smoked peppers. It infuses a hint of smokiness into each bite. (There are lots of smoked paprika recipes to use up a jar.)
• Old Bay: Old Bay is a seasoning blend from the American East
• Coast: It’s often used to season seafood and potatoes. It brings a savoury, irresistible flavor to each bit. Look for Old Bay in the spices aisle in the grocery or buy it online. You can also make homemade Old Bay seasoning.
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Salt

How to cut seasoned fries: by hand

Once you’ve compiled your spices, you’ve got to cut the fries! You can cut seasoned fries two ways: by hand or with a French fry cutter.):

• Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base.
• Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long 3/8-inch wide strips.
• Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries!

Secret to the best seasoned fries: a 10-minute soak!

Here’s what you need to do to make the very best seasoned fries: Soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. Now, some recipes call for soaking fries for up to 1 hour or more, or even boiling them first. But after lots of tests, we found you only need 10 minutes in cold water! Here’s why:

• It makes the outside crispy and inside tender. There’s a notable difference when you soak before you bake.
• You can soak while your oven preheats! Here’s the thing: You don’t lose any time because you can do it while the oven is preheating. Ideally you can cut, soak and season the fries before the oven is ready to go.

Bake them in the oven until perfectly crispy!

Here’s another nice thing about these seasoned fries: they’re baked, not fried! That makes them a healthy seasoned fries option (more on that, below). You’ll cook at high temperature (425 degrees) to get just the right golden exterior. There are only a few tricks to getting them perfectly crisp. Here’s what to know:

• Space out the oven racks. Make sure your oven racks are evenly spaced for the most even cooking. You’ll also want to reverse the trays in the oven after you pull them out to flip.
• Spread the fries in an even layer. Having air between each fry is very important to getting them crispy. If you overcrowd the tray, you’ll get soggy fries.
• Bake 20 minutes, then flip and bake 10 minutes. Flip each fry individually to make sure it crisps up on both sides. This bake time is perfect for the 3/8-inch cut fry, but you may need to adjust based on how even you cut them and your specific oven.

Are these healthy seasoned fries?

Well, we think so! These fries are not fried, so there is less oil in the process. Here is why we think these can be deemed a healthy version of seasoned fries:

You will just use potatoes, minimal olive oil and a bit of salt. These are all healthy, whole food ingredients. They are basically roasted potatoes!

The serving size is moderate. The serving size is much less than a restaurant would serve, so that helps to keep the calories down.

Ingredients

• 2 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly space the oven racks to ensure even cooking.
2. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into fries
3. Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base. Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries. The pieces can be uneven, but aim for as uniform of thickness as possible. See the video for full instructions!
4. Soak in cold water (10 minutes): Place the cut fries into a medium bowl and rinse with cold water until water is clear. Then fill the bowl with cold water and allow to rest for 10 minutes (while the oven preheats). Then drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel.
5. Season the fries: Add the fries to a dry bowl and toss them with the olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Old Bay, black pepper, and Himalayan salt. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries in straight lines on the paper, placing them as far apart as possible.
6. Bake: Bake the fries for 20 minutes. Take them out of the oven and carefully flip each fry. Return to oven (reversing the pans on top and bottom racks). Bake additional 8 to 10 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown, watching carefully as the bake time depends on the fry thickness and your oven. (If the majority of the fries seem soft, continue to bake a few more minutes.)
7. Taste and add a few more pinches salt if desired. Serve immediately for the best texture and flavour.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes