Poor french fries. They really get a bad wrap considering the word "frying" is in their name. But actually they are not that terrible. In general frying is not actually as bad as most people think. When the proper temperature is used, fried foods do not absorb a lot of oil. If you have greasy fries, the oil probably was not hot enough.
Properly frying foods will create a crispy outer coating and then the food is actually steam cooked inside. If you have soggy fries, that means the oil soaked in because there was no sear on the outside.
Having defended frying, I actually baked these fries simply because of the mess. Frying can be much messier and much more clean-up.
Baked Fries with a Secret Ingredient
Ingredients
May contain affiliate links3 large potatoes - they are in season right now in the Northeast
Secret ingredient ~2 tablespoons bacon fat - from no nitrate bacon
Sea Salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash the potatoes and cut them into strips.
Soak potatoes in water. This is supposed to draw out some of the sugar and starch in the potatoes and makes them crispier.
Melt bacon fat.
Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes, turning at least once. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!
So my secret ingredient used was bacon fat. Using an animal fat really brings a fantastic flavor to the fries that vegetable oil just cannot. I know there is a lot of concern out there about cholesterol levels and saturated fat, but those fears are not substantiated. Saturated fat can be a very healthy part of the diet, especially if it is from good sources like grass-fed meat and pork and coconut oil.
Serve with homemade ketchup like this recipe for Lacto-fermented ketchup.
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