Oven Baked Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries

French Fries are the perfect accompaniment to so many different dishes and are also perfect as a meal on their own.  These Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries are baked instead of fried for a healthy-ish and easy side dish.

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French Fries are the perfect accompaniment to so many different dishes and are also perfect as a meal on their own.  These Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries are baked instead of fried for a healthy-ish and easy side dish.

Have you ever known anyone who doesn’t like potatoes?  No, because that’s crazy, right?  Well, my old roommate is apparently a crazy person, because he doesn’t like them.  The only form of potatoes that he’ll eat are potato chips and SUPER crispy French fries.  No baked potatoes, no mashed potatoes, no roasted potatoes.  Like I said – crazy person.

I absolutely adore potatoes in almost any form and always have.  Given that, and my love of cooking, it’s a little strange that up until a few years ago I was totally guilty of using only pre-made mashed potatoes, and I had never even thought about making my own French fries.

Now though, I couldn’t even imagine using the pre-made mashers, and while I’ll still use frozen fries if I’m really in a time crunch, it’s so so much better to make your own, and it’s really not that much more complicated than ripping open a bag of frozen fries.

Now though, I couldn’t even imagine using the pre-made mashers, and while I’ll still use frozen fries if I’m really in a time crunch, it’s so so much better to make your own, and it’s really not that much more complicated than ripping open a bag of frozen fries.

People generally think of Russet potatoes as the standard for making fries at home, but I prefer a Yukon gold.  I think they give a fluffier inner texture than the russet, and the skins taste better.

How to Make Oven Baked Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries

• Start by soaking the potatoes.  To get the crispiest potatoes you can get, you want to start by soaking them in water for at least 20 minutes, which will remove a lot of the starch from the potatoes.  If you’re in a super hurry, you can skip this step, and they’ll still be great, but you wont get the same level of crispiness.

• Drying the potatoes after soaking is almost more important than soaking them.  If they go into a hot oven covered in water, they’ll steam instead of crisping.  To dry, I usually run them through my salad spinner a few times, and then blot them dry with a kitchen towel.  If you don’t have a salad spinner (which you should – this is the one I use) you can lay them out in a single layer on a towel, and let them air dry for about 20 minutes.

• Oiling them is also incredibly important.  This is a healthier recipe than frying, but you’re still going to need more oil than you think you will for them to crisp up properly.  For 1 pound of potatoes I usually use about a tablespoon or two of oil.

• Oven temperature is the last bit.  You want to start off at a lower temperature for the first half of baking, which will cook the insides of the fries, and then crank the heat up to finish cooking them and crisp them up.  The exact cooking times will vary based on how thick you cut the fries.  I like my fries on the thin side, so I generally do 20 minutes at the lower temperature and then 15-20 minutes at a higher temp.

Yield

2

Author

Sara Rauckhorst

Prep time

35 Min

Cook time

40 Min

Total time

1 H & 15 M

Print

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Oven Baked Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries

French Fries are the perfect accompaniment to so many different dishes and are also perfect as a meal on their own. These Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries are baked instead of fried for a healthy-ish and easy side dish.

Ingredients

Oven Baked Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries

• 1 pound yukon gold potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• Zest of one lemon

Instructions

To Make Oven Baked Lemon Oregano Parmesan French Fries

1. Start by cutting your potatoes into fries - cut the potatoes in half, then in sticks based on your fry size preference.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. Place the potatoes in a bowl and cover them with water and let them sit for 30 minutes.  Drain the potatoes, and run them through a salad spinner a few times to dry.  You could also lay them flat on a towel for 20 minutes to dry if you dont have a salad spinner.
4. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet (or two if you need the room) and drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, raise the heat on the oven to 400, and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your fries and how crispy you want them.
6. While the fries are baking, mix up the topping:  in a small bowl, grate your parmesan cheese with a microplane zester, and add the chopped oregano.  Using the same zester, grate the lemon peel and mix it all together.
7. When the fries come out of the oven, taste and season with more salt if needed, and top the fries with the parmesan mixture.  Serve.

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