Baked French Fries

My family makes these baked French fries often, maybe once a week. We love them, and they are so easy to make! So, I thought, I need to share this recipe!

It’s my daughter Heidi’s well-known recipe. Everyone asks her for the recipe and how to make them. We made them for dinner last night so we could take pictures. They were so delicious with our homemade hamburgers! There is nothing quite like “burgers and fries” when it comes to a fun and tasty evening meal.

These are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside—the perfect French Fry! We grow Yellow Yukon potatoes, so they’re our favorite potato. Depending on how many people you plan to feed, you can use 3 to 10 potatoes. I’ll show you how it all comes together.

We have a big family, and they drop in often for dinner, so I used ten potatoes today. They were consumed so quickly that we wished we’d made a few more. It’s nice because we only use olive oil and some spices to make them as flavorful as they turned out.

Baked French Fries

Kitchen Items You May Need

• Cutting Board
• Vegetable Scrubber
• Spaghetti Pot (makes it easy to “blanch” the potatoes)
• A Good Knife
• Cookie Sheet
• Large Bowl

Ingredients – Baked French Fries

• Potatoes: Potatoes are a nightshade vegetable grown for their starchy edible tubers. My favorite variety for this recipe is the Yukon Gold potatoes, but any type will do! I have used Russet potatoes, red potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
• Extra-virgin olive oil is made from pure, cold-pressed olives. It’s less processed than regular olive oil and contains antioxidants and heart-healthy fat.
• All-Season Salt: This unique blend of natural sea salt and herbs adds flavor to French fries.
• Garlic Powder is a spice made from dehydrated garlic. It enhances the other flavors of the ingredients in the recipe.

Baked French Fries

Step One: Scrub the Potatoes – Allow to Dry

I scrub the potatoes with a vegetable scrubber. Let the potatoes dry on a hand towel or paper towel. Vegetable Scrubber

Step Two: Boil Water

Start your water boiling while you cut the potatoes. You will “blanch” your potatoes in this pan for 3 minutes.

Step Three: Cut Potatoes into French Fry Shapes

Use a good knife to cut the potatoes into French Fry shapes.

Step Four: Preheat a Cookie Sheet

Preheat your oven WITH the cookie sheet to (425°F ) = (218°C).

Step Five: Place Cut Potatoes in a Strainer

Place the cut potatoes into a strainer to place the potatoes into the boiling water.

Step Six: Blanch Potatoes for 3 Minutes

Blanch the potatoes for 3 minutes in the boiling water.

Step Seven: Remove Strainer/Pan – Drain Potatoes

Remove the strainer /pan from the stove and let the potatoes drain.

Step Eight: Place Potatoes on Towel to Dry

Place the potatoes on a towel to dry.

Step Nine: Pat Dry Potatoes to Remove Moisture

Pat the potatoes dry with another towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Step Ten: Place Dried Potatoes into a Bowl

Place the towel-dried potatoes into a bowl.

Step Eleven: Drizzle Potatoes with Olive Oil

Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. You don’t want to drench them; a little oil is better. One of the reasons I like this recipe is that you aren’t deep-frying the potatoes in oil. I feel this approach is a more healthy alternative.

Step Twelve: Sprinkle Potatoes with Seasonings – Toss

Lightly sprinkle the potatoes with All-Season Salt and garlic powder. Toss until potatoes are well coated with the seasonings.

Step Thirteen: Remove “Heated” Cookie Sheet – Place Potatoes on Cookie Sheet – Bake

My favorite step is removing the “heated” cookie sheet from the oven and placing the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on the cookie or baking sheet. You will hear the pan sizzle as you place it on the cookie sheet, precisely what you want to hear. Put the pan back into the oven. Bake the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, flip them over, and bake another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Finished Product

They should look like this when the potatoes are done. You will love these Baked French Fries!

Baked French Fries Recipe

Linda’s Fry Sauce

Have you heard about the famous Utah Fry Sauce? It’s great for dipping these yummy fries or putting on barbequed hamburgers. I have the recipe my family makes below. Let me know if you like fry sauce.

A family-owned hamburger restaurant here in Utah is famous for its fry sauce, and it is the first place I heard about “Fry Sauce.” It’s called “Arctic Circle.” They make fantastic food, my friends. Their milkshakes are called “Above the Rim” since the ice cream fills the cup to overflow. They have to put a plastic cap with a hole in the top so you don’t get the goodies all over you.

My budget doesn’t warrant many visits there, but sometimes, I just need a ready-made hamburger from them, with fry sauce, of course. I’m not sure all their outlets offer this, but the one near our home has a special “Bag of Burgers” deal. You pay something like $7.95 and get five made-to-order burgers. What a deal! By the way, their Cherry Ricky drink is so good.

Ingredients – Linda’s Fry Sauce

• Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip): Also known as “mayo,” mayonnaise is a thick and creamy sour dressing made of eggs, oil, vinegar, or lemon juice.
• Ketchup (or BBQ Sauce): A tangy and sweet condiment made by mixing a tomato paste with sugar, vinegar, water, seasonings, and salt.
• Dill Pickle Juice: The liquid in the jar of dill pickles. Adds a delicious sour flavor to the fry sauce.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Typically made with vinegar, anchovies, molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind extract, chili pepper extract, and salt. It provides a savory, sweet, sour, and spicy addition to the fry sauce.
• Paprika: Regular dried paprika is made by crushing dried chili peppers. It has a milder taste than smoked paprika and is also known as sweet paprika.

How do I store the leftover fries?

I store mine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.

How do I reheat them?

Let’s be honest: the microwave doesn’t cut it for reheating, right? If you can get the best results when you reheat them in the oven, use an air fryer or a toaster oven to give them a little crunch.

Can I freeze them after baking them?

I have never frozen them, and we usually eat the whole batch. I can’t recommend something I haven’t done.

Are there any variations that can be made to these oven-baked French fries?

I love this baked French fries recipe as is! If you want to make changes, I recommend any of the following.

• Parmesan Crusted Cheese Fries – Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the fries before baking.
• Herbed Baked French Fries – Toss with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and garlic powder.
• Spicy French Fries – Toss with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
• Rosemary French Fries – Sprinkle the potatoes with rosemary and the recommended olive oil.
• Smokey-flavored French Fries: Toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and sea salt.
• Cheesy Bacon French Fries: After cooking potatoes as directed, remove them and top with chopped pre-cooked bacon and desired cheese. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
• Additional herbs or spices that may taste good include chives, curry, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper, or French fry seasoning. The sky is the limit!
• Sweet Potato Fries—For those looking for a lower-calorie alternative, use sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. This is a sweet, savory, and delicious option!

What potatoes are best to use when making baked French fries?

I have tried a variety of potatoes over the years. It depends on the texture and taste you want when making your baked French fries. I love the taste and texture of Yukon gold potatoes. Here is a list of the other potatoes you can use and the outcome you could potentially expect.

• Yukon Gold potatoes are a classic delicious potato. They are known for their yellow flesh. When cooked, they have a creamy texture and rich buttery flavor. 
• Russet potatoes is a potato commonly used in cooking. They have light brownish skin, and when cooked, the flesh is fluffy, moist, and light. 
• Red potatoes: A beautifully red-colored medium-sized potato with smooth, thin skin. It’s very flavorful flesh. 
• Fingerling potatoes are small potatoes in the shape of fingers. They have very thin and tender skin and a very buttery, rich flavor when cooked.

Can I soak the potatoes in water instead of boiling them?

I like the texture of French fries when they are boiled before baking. If you want to eliminate this step, you are welcome to soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Boiling or soaking potatoes helps the baked fries be crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

Both options also help to eliminate some of the starch from the potatoes. This creates that crunchy outside texture and taste that we all love!

For maximum crispiness, completely dry the potatoes with paper towels before adding any seasonings or olive oil.

What can I serve with French fries?

• Hot Dogs
• Hamburgers
• Steaks
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Serve with ketchup, ranch dressing, or fry sauce
• Honey Mustard

Interested in other ways to cook potatoes? Check out these delicious recipes!

• How To Make Mashed Potatoes
• The Best Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Cheesy Potato Casserole (Funeral Potatoes)
• The Best Sweet Potato Casserole
• How To Bake A Sweet Potato

Final Word

This recipe for baked french fries is my favorite way to make fries! Add some fry sauce and I’m in heaven! Is it just Utah, or do people have fry sauce where you live? I’d love to hear from you! It’s all about cooking from scratch and stretching our food budget, right? May God Bless this world, Linda