Looking for CI Baked French Fries recipe

[Carpathia]

Hi. I vaguely recall CI recently doing a baked french fries recipe. Does anyone have it and could easily post it?

TIA!
Carpathia

[sneezles]

Originally posted by Carpathia
Hi. I vaguely recall CI recently doing a baked french fries recipe. Does anyone have it and could easily post it?

TIA!
Carpathia

HMMM, just noticed the "recently" part! Oh well, I'll go look some more but here's one I did find:

Written: 7/1/1996

Author(s): Fred Thomas
French Fries at Home
Bathe the raw potatoes in ice water, spike the oil with bacon grease if you like, always fry twice--and use a brown grocery bag for draining.
The challenge: We wanted to find a recipe and method for the home cook that would rival restaurant french fries. For us, the ideal fry would be long and crisp, with right-angle sides, a nice crunch on the outside, and an earthy potato taste. Its bass flavor note should be rustic, like a mushroom, and its high note should hint of the oil in which it was created. It should definitely not droop, and its coloring should be two-tone, blond with hints of brown.

The solution: Obviously, a good french fry requires the right potato. The russet Burbank baking potato, often called the "Idaho", turned out to be ideal, frying up with all the qualities we required. Because these are starchy potatoes, it is important to rinse the starch off the surface after you cut the potato into fries. Then refrigerate the potatoes in a bowl of ice water for at least 30 minutes. That way, when the potatoes first enter the hot oil, they are nearly frozen, which allows a slow, thorough cooking of the inner potato pulp. As for frying, we found double-frying was the key. First, one par-fries the potatoes at a relatively low temperature to release the inner beauty of the potato: pulpy, mealy, potato-y. Then the potatoes are quick-fried at a higher temperature and served.

For good measure: Be sure to pat the fries dry well with a tea towel before dropping them into the preheated oil, or the oil will spatter. And drop in a handful at once: this quick handful breaks the surface tension of the oil, reducing the possibility of boiling over. As the fries cook, stir them occasionally to separate them, because they tend to cluster in hot spots in the oil.

CLASSIC FRENCH FRIES

Serves 4

For those who like it, flavoring the oil with a few tablespoons of bacon grease adds a subtle, meaty flavor to the fries. Their texture, however, is not affected if the bacon grease is omitted. Once you’ve peeled the potatoes, you can use a mandolin or V-slicer, rather than cut them by hand. To prepare steak fries, cut the potatoes one-third-inch to one-half-inch thick, and increase the cooking time to ten to twelve minutes during the initial frying and just a few seconds longer in the final fry.

4 large russet Burbank (Idaho) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-by-1/4-inch-thick lengths Reserve nonuniform pieces for another use.)
2 quarts peanut oil
4 tablespoons strained bacon grease (optional)
Salt and pepper

1. Rinse cut fries in large bowl under cold running water until water turns from milky colored to clear. Cover with at least 1 inch of water, then cover with ice. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.)

2. In 5-quart pot or Dutch oven fitted with clip-on-the-pot candy thermometer, or in larger electric fryer, heat oil over medium-low heat to 325 degrees. As oil heats, add bacon grease. Oil will bubble up when you add fries, so be sure you have at least 3 inches of room at top of cooking pot.

3. Pour off ice and water, quickly wrap potatoes in a clean tea towel, and thoroughly pat dry. Increase heat to medium-high and add fries, a handful at a time, to hot oil. Fry, stirring with Chinese skimmer or large-hole slotted spoon, until potatoes are limp and soft and start to turn from white to blond, 6 to 8 minutes. (Oil temperature will drop 50 to 60 degrees during this frying.) Use skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer fries to brown paper bag to drain; let rest at least 10 minutes (can stand at room temperature up to 2 hours or be wrapped in paper towels, sealed in zipper-lock bag, and frozen up to 1 month).

4. When ready to serve fries, reheat oil to 350 degrees. Using paper bag as a funnel, pour potatoes into hot oil. Discard bag and set up second paper bag. Fry potatoes, stirring fairly constantly, until golden brown and puffed, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper bag and drain again. Season to taste with salt and pepper, or other seasoned salt. Serve immediately.

[sneezles]

Here ya go...

Ultimate Oven Fries
The savings in calories and fat are no reason to eat an oven fry--it has to taste good. With its leathery crust and mealy interior, the typical oven fry needs work.

Problem: Low fat is never a good excuse for lousy food, and oven fries should be no exception. Abysmal flavor and texture just aren't worth the savings in calories, especially when these "lite" fries taste like overroasted potatoes with thick, leathery crusts and hollow interiors. In other cases, they are limp, whitish, mealy, and bland--a complete failure in all respects.

Goal: Easy and clean oven cooking--as opposed to deep-frying in a pot of hot, splattering oil--is such an engaging proposition that we decided to try to make an oven fry worth eating on its own terms. If it didn't have a golden, crisp crust and a richly creamy interior, we were going back to the deep fryer.

Solution: Start with peeled russet potatoes, cut into wedges and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes. Pour oil, salt, and pepper on the baking sheet instead of on the potatoes, which helps keep the potatoes from sticking. Cover the potatoes with foil to steam them for the first five minutes of cooking, then uncover and continue baking until golden and crisp.


OVEN FRIES
SERVES 3 TO 4

Take care to cut the potatoes into evenly sized wedges so that all of the pieces will cook at about the same rate. Although it isn't required, a nonstick baking sheet works particularly well for this recipe. It not only keeps the fries from sticking to the pan but, because of its dark color, encourages deep and even browning. Whether you choose a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet, make sure that it is heavy duty. The intense heat of the oven may cause lighter pans to warp.

3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled,
each potato cut lengthwise into 10 to 12 evenly
sized wedges
5 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with hot tap water; soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat 18 by 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet (see note) with 4 tablespoons oil and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
2. Drain potatoes. Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels. Rinse and wipe out now-empty bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet; cover tightly with foil and bake 5 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until bottoms of potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using metal spatula and tongs, scrape to loosen potatoes from pan, then flip each wedge, keeping potatoes in single layer. Continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.
3. Transfer fries to second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.






Written: January,2004

[Carpathia]

Thank you so much sneezles!! I really appreciate this! I'm going to make these on vday with filet mignon.. French fries are my husband and my all time favorite food. :) Now we just have to come up with a veggie side dish...

[claire797]

I made those fries a few weeks ago and they are YUMMY! They have a thick and chewy outer shell and soft and fluffy inside.

[Chocolate Rose]

Thanks for sharing this!! We love poatatoes and I've been doing the ones where you soak them in salted and sugared water before baking. We really like those but I'm going to give these a try the next time I make fries - probably this weekend.:D

[catts]

I made these a couple of weeks ago. We eat oven french fries often, so I thought I would give these a try. They were very good, although using 5 tablespoons of oil seemed like too much. Does any one have a calorie and fat count on these? Just curious. Next time I will cut back on the oil.

[HejazSunKat]

I have a CL oven fry recipe from years ago ('94? '96? - I forget) that I use all the time and it only uses 1 Tablespoon of oil. I'm at work but I'll post it tonight if anybody's interested.

[CindyWeightWatcher]

Is this the one you're looking for?

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cheese Fries

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes -- peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single
layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes or until golden.

Source:
"The Best of Cooking Light"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 172 Calories; 4g Fat (20.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 167mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[HejazSunKat]

Yup, that's the one I was going to post (thanks Cindy!). I can vouch for those, they come out really good.

[SusanMac]

Thx! I saw this on the newsstand, but didn't buy it. We make oven fries all the time, so I'm interested in trying this method.

Here's my question,though....

what's the benefit of soaking the potatoes? What does that do?

[Dyanne]

You should try the Garlic Fries from CL. They are basically simple baked fries, then tossed in a garlic-butter sauce. You would not BELIEVE how good they are! The butter is extravagent but with such a small quantity and with the garlic mixed in, it's worth every calorie.

Dyane

[claire797]

I've never tried the cheese fries Cindy posted, so I think I'll serve those tonight.

Dyanne, I vaguely recall the recipe where they are tossed in butter, but can't remember which issue. They sound good too.

The Cook's Illustrated fries are very tasty. I used 4 tablespoons of oil in the pan and noticed that most of the oil was still in the pan when the fries were done. So even though it seems like a lot, the potatoes are only absorbing about a tablespoon.

[Dyanne]

I looked up the Garlic Fries. They're on page 73 of the 2003 Annual, from April 2002. Basically, after the fries are baked, you're supposed to:

Put 2 T buter and 8 minced garlic cloves (about 5 t) in a large non-stick skillet over LOW heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add potatoes (it called for 3 lbs, so adjust if your recipe's different), 2 T parlsey, and 2 T parmesan cheese to the pan, then toss to coat. Serve immediately.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Dyanne
I looked up the Garlic Fries. They're on page 73 of the 2003 Annual, from April 2002. Basically, after the fries are baked, you're supposed to:

Put 2 T buter and 8 minced garlic cloves (about 5 t) in a large non-stick skillet over LOW heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add potatoes (it called for 3 lbs, so adjust if your recipe's different), 2 T parlsey, and 2 T parmesan cheese to the pan, then toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Ah. It's all coming back to me now :). I'm going to have to try those based on your review :).

[sneezles]

Originally posted by SusanMac
what's the benefit of soaking the potatoes? What does that do?

Susan,
Sorry no one has answered your question yet. I'm not sure of the chemistry/science of it but soaking potatoes seems to result in a better cooked potato. Maybe it has something to do with the starch level but even if you soak a whole, unpeeled russet for 10 minutes before baking it just has a better consistency! Don't know why just know it works...

[Carpathia]

Hi All,

I made the CI Baked French Fries recipe (with no modifications) last night and they were awesome!! They were a little labor intensive compared to other baked french fry recipes I've tried, but it was worth the effort. They were gone before dinner was over.


Carpathia

[catts]

Susan,
To further answer your question regarding why soak potatoes before making french fries.

CI states: Russets can produce exessively thick crusts and somewhat dry interiors. The thick crust is caused by browning of simple sugars in the russet, and the best way to remove some of the surface sugar is to soak the potatoes in water. The water has an added benefit. Potato starches gelatinize completely during cooking. The water introduced during soaking improves the creaminess and smoothness by working its way between the strands of gelatin starch. The final result is a fry that has a good surface crunch married to a smooth interior.

I just wish CI would put fat/calorie information with their recipes.

[SusanMac]

Oooohhh! thanks for the extra info on soaking potatoes in water. I will have to try that for all my baked/roasted potatoes. I love them creamy inside.

[Teresa]

These were great! I make oven fries all the time, but never with such excellent results. They didn't stick to the pan, and there was lots of oil left. They hardly absorbed any.

[gertdog]

I made the CI oven fries last night. Wow- they are SO good! DH and I both gave them a 10 out of 10. Golden and crispy outsides, soft insides, and nicely seasoned with no sticking to the pan.

Catts, for the entire recipe the calories are 1140 and the fat is 69g. That assumes, though, that you use 24 ounces total of potatoes, and actually consume all 5 tablespoons of the oil. I'd guess I had 2T left in the pan, which would reduce total fat to 42g for the recipe.

[summer02]

I'm scared of frying things so I only make oven fries...:rolleyes:...but another good combination to use with the techniques of these recipes is sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie spice.
And while I probably shouldn't admit it since it's weird, I like to dip them in something spicy like chile-garlic dipping sauce.

[catts]

Thanks Gertdog for finding out the calorie/fat content. I made these again, the second time I used only 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan. I liked using less oil better. It actually is a very good recipe that I will repeat often.

Sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie spice, wow, that sounds interesting. I might have to give it a try. Thanks for the idea.