A couple of years ago I caught an episode of the Rachel Ray Show that changed my life! In the episode she demonstrated two tips for making oven fries that were so simple I couldn’t believe I had never seen them before. I have never looked back.
The first tip she shared was to par-boil the potatoes before baking them. In other words partially cook the raw fries in some salty boiling water. They cook for between 3 and 8 minutes depending on the thickness. After a few minutes in boiling water they should get a crisper outside in the oven.
The second tip was even more revolutionary. Arrange the par-boiled fries on wire racks over a sheet pan to bake. Totally genius!
It changed the way I make oven fries. Before the show my oven fries often turned out crisp on one side and steamed on the other. Even turning them part way through the cooking process didn’t seem to help. With the potatoes elevated from the pan, both sides can cook at the same time, creating a more even texture. They also need significantly less oil to become nicely crisp.
The Rachael Ray Show web site has a recipe called Double Baked Crazy-Crisp Oven Fries cooked on a rack; it may be from the segment I saw. Hers are twice seasoned, I try and keep things a little more simple. When I make these fries I toss them in a seasoning blend and a little oil or spray with olive oil spray and then bake at 425 until they are toasty and golden. This method also works for any type of potato, and other starchy root veggies. The crispness depends on how thick the fries are cut. I change it up depending on my mood. The fries in this post are thick steakhouse style so they are on the softer side.
If you too are unhappy with the way your oven fries turn out, or you have never tried making them before, give this method a try. It could change your life!
I love to use a sprinkle of Chipotle and seasalt on mine! I also use the wire rack trick for “oven frying” anything!
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I am going to try these! What seasoning blend do you use with sweet potatoes? I’ve never cooked sweet potatoes and don’t know what to use! Susie
Hi Susie! I am so excited for you to cook sweet potatoes for the first time.
For seasoning blends I have a couple that I keep on hand and shake onto roasting veggies or meat. One is from the McCormick “Perfect Pinch” line of seasonings, “Vegetable”. Another one I like is made by Weber (the BBQ people) “Roasted Garlic & Herb.” Both of these contain salt.
I am not married to either of these and simple salt & pepper will also work just fine! Have fun!
This is the best sweet potato fries ever. I have done it many times, and I wouldn’t say NO to this dish. Mine is thinner than your cut and it taste great. But I’ve never tried to pra-boil the sweet potato first. I just cut them down, season them, and bake them. I think I need to try your method. I love Rachel Ray, so I might love this dish too 🙂
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
Thanks for your comment! If you try them this way I would love to hear what think about the method.
A quick tip for the crunchiest SP fries is to use corn starch. Just toss and bake with whatever other seasonings. Works amazingly well.
Hi Rose,
I make a similar fry with sweet potatoes; They’re called sweet potato crack, probably because they are so goood! Slice the potatoes (next time I will try the parboil method which makes slicing them immeasurably easier), toss them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with thyme and as much garlic as you want, like several cloves chopped fine. The extra sweetness comes from the sugars in the potato as they exude and brown up. Do you think this would work on a rack? Now I’ll have to try them again with these modifications: Parboil first, and use olive oil spray.
Sounds delicious! On a rack they might get more toasty than caramelized but I bet it would work. I am always up for an experiment. 🙂