The holy grail of fry texture is…
Icrispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Usually acquired through frying (specifically double frying), but achieved here by cranking your oven to 425º. Use neutral oil that can withstand high heat and you’re good to go. It’s also a perfect chance to put your knife skills to the test - the more uniformly you cut your potatoes, the more uniformly your fries will cook. If you have a mandolin, use that to help you along. Most importantly though, have fun and go heavy on the seasoning: salty, sweet, garlicky & herbaceous.
Crispy Roasted Garlic & Za’atar Fries with Black Pepper Honey
2 Idaho or russet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch matchsticks, approx 1.5 - 2 lbs
2 Tbsp neutral oil
1.5 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
⅛-¼ tsp garlic powder, to taste
⅛-¼ tsp smoked paprika, to taste
½ tsp za’atar, or to taste
1 Tbsp honey
10 black peppercorns
Preheat the oven to 425.
Thoroughly scrub your potatoes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and juice of ½ a lemon if you have it on hand. This will help to stop the potatoes from oxidizing (getting brown). Cut your potatoes lengthwise instead of across, into ¼ in thick ovals, adding to the cold water as you go. Next, cut your ovals down into matchsticks, also ¼ in thick. Be as precise as you can here, as the fries will cook more evenly the more uniformly they’re cut. (QUICK TIP: I actually used a ruler to measure out one fry: I made sure it was ¼ in thick all the way around, and then I used that as the reference point for all the others. Having a visual will help you me maintain better uniformity while cutting the rest.)
Get out 2 half baking sheets, roughly 11”x16”, and line with parchment. These are my fav.
Once potatoes are all cut, take the matchsticks out of the water and place in a kitchen towel or paper towel. Dry them off as thoroughly as you can, and also dry the bowl that they were in. Place dry potatoes back into the dry bowl and toss with a neutral oil that has a high smoke point (best for high heat baking vs olive oil which will burn). Next add salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper and toss again.
Right away after seasoning lay the potatoes out on the baking sheets (the longer they sit, the salt will start to pull liquid from the potatoes and you want them as dry as possible for the crisp exterior). Lay the potatoes out in a single layer and don’t crowd the baking sheets. Drizzle with a little more neutral oil (just a little, no need to go crazy) and place in the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until one side is crispy and golden. Then flip the fries and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until all fries are crispy on the outside but soft in the middle. Depending on how hot your oven gets, you may not need to roast a full 30 minutes.
While the fries are in the oven, in a small ramekin add your honey and crushed whole black peppercorns. You can crush the peppercorns using the flat side of a chefs knife or a mortar and pestle. You can also turn your pepper grinder to coarse and add pepper that way: in that case, add just shy of ½ tsp coarse pepper. Mix to incorporate evenly.
When fries are finished cooking, carefully add them to a large bowl and while still hot toss with garlic powder, smoked paprika and one last pinch of coarse salt. Drizzle with black pepper honey and finally, finish with herbaceous za’atar! Enjoy immediately while warm!