Baked French Fries

By Melissa Clark

Baked French Fries
Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(1,502)
Comments
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If every baked French fry you've ever eaten has been a soggy disappointment, then this recipe is for you. The key to achieving perfectly crisp “fries” is heating your sheet pan in a 500-degree oven for a good 10 minutes. When you toss the potatoes onto the blisteringly hot pan, magic happens: The potatoes sear and develop a truly crunchy crust. In terms of seasoning, we keep it simple with just salt and pepper, but feel free to experiment with adding a bit of chili or garlic powder, smoked paprika or cayenne to the mix.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1½pounds russet potatoes (about 3 large), cut into ¼- to ½-inch-thick sticks
  • 4tablespoons olive oil
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • ½teaspoon black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

255 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 4 grams protein; 300 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Arrange one oven rack at the lowest point. Place a large rimmed baking sheet there and heat oven to 500 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, toss together potatoes, the oil, salt, pepper and any additional seasonings. Carefully spread potatoes out on the preheated baking sheet and return to oven’s lower rack. Roast until slightly golden and crispy, tossing after 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake 10 to 15 minutes more.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,502 user ratings
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Comments

Robert

Parchment paper is the age old trick for crispy potatoes (and any other roasted vegetable for that matter). The semi-porous paper allows the potatoes to breath at the interface with the paper and they neither stick nor get soggy/gooey due to excess liquid accumulating at the downward surface. You can get nearly "deep fried" texture with this method without all the fuss of a fryer. No clean up either- just toss the paper and the sheet pan is clean underneath!

Lee

Question. If using parchment paper do you pre-heat pan with parchment? Or just pre-heat oven?

Carol

Put the sliced potatoes in the microwave for 8-10 minutes, then toss with oil and seasonings. 10-15 minutes in the oven (on parchment) at 350-425, whatever your oven is set to for other items. I’ve been using this twice cooked approach for years with great results.

Michaela

I used a cast iron baking pan. I followed the recipe exactly how it was given. The fries came out delicious!

Scanmike

I have made similar recipes and I am not inclined to try this one, it seems like nothing more than baking cut up potatoes, which I am fine with, but they are not french fries.

Deb

One critical thing is to add the salt at the last minute. If you prep the potatoes and let them sit the salt will draw out water from the potatoes and they will steam instead of crisp. My oven has a convection setting and I have done this in an air fryer basket with convection preheating that allows a bit lower temperature. Still crispy and easier cleanup but not as crispy as the hot sheet pan.

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