Baked French Fries

Ingredients

• 2 pounds russet potatoes or Yukon gold
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Set a large bowl of ice water on the counter for the fries. Cut the potatoes lengthwise, into 1/3 to 1/2 inch strips. Take your time and cut them as evenly as possible. As soon as you finish each potato, drop the raw fries in the ice water to soak.
• Once all the fries are in the water continue to soak for at least another 30 minutes while you preheat the oven. You can let them soak for several hours if needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (or 375°F convection) and set out one large or two medium rimmed baking sheets.
• Once the fries have had time to soak, lay a clean dish towel on the baking sheet. Drain the fries in a colander and dump them onto the towel. Gently wrap the towel around the fries and press them to remove all excess moisture. Then remove the towel, leaving the fries on the baking sheet.
• Drizzle the top of the fries with oil, followed by the Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, or garlic powder. Or you can use our Cajun fries seasoning here!
• Toss the fries well to coat them evenly with oil and seasoning. Then lay them out on the baking sheet in a single layer, making sure the fries are not touching. This will ensure that get crispy in the oven. *If you take the time to lay them in rows, they are much easier to flip in large batches.
• Bake the fries for 20 minutes. Use a large flat metal spatula flip the fries over in batches and separate them again if they’re touching. Continue to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes to your desired color and crispiness.
• Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

The fries will keep well for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge, but they’ll lose their snappiness and get softer by the day.

If you do have leftovers, I suggest reheating them in an air fryer at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes or baking again in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. But I cannot promise you that they’ll totally crisp back up nicely.