Oven-Baked Fries
An oven cannot do what a deep fryer does, so the crust has to be built another way. Cold water washes off the surface starch that would otherwise glue the sticks together, a thin dusting of cornflour builds a shell in its place, and a screaming-hot tray gives them a sharp start.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 280 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Cut into sticks
Cut the potatoes into sticks 1 cm thick. Even thickness matters more than length: thinner ones burn before the fat ones are soft inside.
-
Step 2: Soak for 30 minutes
Cover the sticks with cold water. The water goes cloudy — that is the surface starch that otherwise glues them together and keeps them limp.
-
Step 3: Dry them completely
Spread them on a towel and pat every side dry. Wet potato steams in the oven before it fries, and you never get a crust.
-
Step 4: Starch first, then oil
Toss the potatoes with the cornflour and paprika first, and only then with the oil. In that order the starch stays on the potato instead of on the tray.
-
Step 5: Heat the tray
Preheat the oven to 230 °C with the empty tray inside for 10 minutes. The fries should hiss the moment they hit the metal.
-
Step 6: Bake for 35 minutes
Spread the sticks in a single layer without touching. Turn them at 20 minutes and finish baking to an even deep gold.
-
Step 7: Salt after baking
Season with salt and pepper the moment they come out. Salt added before baking draws moisture to the surface and softens the crust.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Two trays beat one crowded one. You should see metal between the sticks, or they cook in their own steam.
-
Tip
High-starch floury varieties give the fluffy interior. Waxy salad potatoes stay dense and waxy inside no matter how hot the oven.
-
Variation
Sweet potato works the same way but needs only 25 minutes and a little more cornflour, since it is wetter and sweeter.
-
Storage
These are a one-sitting dish; within an hour the crust softens. If there are leftovers, 5 minutes at 220 °C brings most of the crispness back.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 280 kcal | 1,120 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 20 g |
| Fat | 11 g | 44 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g | 168 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
