Oven Baked Fries

Roasted potato wedges or fries are a frequent side dish in our house--especially when burgers are on the menu.  For me, you can't have one without the other.  In my experience it seems that every other batch turns out great.  The rest of them are just...meh. I could get the right flavoring and the wedges would be perfectly cooked, but I couldn't achieve the right crispness on the outside with the soft potato on the inside.  Annie solved my problem! By soaking the wedges in hot water for 10-30 minutes you allow for ample crisping time when the oven step comes. 

Though I didn't follow this recipe exactly--I altered various ingredient amounts to suit our hunger level--I believe I actually followed the directions to the T.  Well, that's not exactly true either.  At the end of the baking time I was getting quite anxious to eat and the patty melts were finished.  So I probably should have left the fries in for 10 more minutes for a bit more crispness, but what can I say, I was hungry!  

There are quite a few steps of this, but it's totally worth it! (and for a bit of a better photo see Annie's post!)

Adapted from Annie's Eats; originally from The New Best Recipe. 

Ingredients

3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges

5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided

¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. (I brought a pot of water up to almost a simmer and left the potatoes on extra low for the 10 minutes...no bubbling water!)  Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet.  Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this).  Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels.  Pat dry with additional towels.  Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes.  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.