Oven Fries/Chips: Oven fries

Subject: Oven fries
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 18:05:03 -0700
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Saw a recipe for oven fries recently that looked good. Used a mix of spices and chile.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/syah/ovnfries.htm [archive.org]

The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled in the spice mix.

Comments?
From: Becca (becca at hal-pc.org)
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 19:29:03 -0600
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This is how I do it:

I would eliminate the oil, and substitute one or two whites. Mix the spices with the egg white, add the potatoes and stir the potatoes around to coat. Bake at 400(F) for 40 minutes, or until done, turning them a couple of times.
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:53:02 -0700
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Becca wrote:
> I would eliminate the oil, and substitute one or two whites. Mix the
> spices with the egg white, add the potatoes and stir the potatoes
> around to coat. Bake at 400(F) for 40 minutes, or until done, turning
> them a couple of times.

That sounds good. Would give them a bit of a crust, wouldn't it?

Normally I just brush potatoes with a bit of oil and roast them that way for oven fries. But I like the coated ones!
From: Becca (becca at hal-pc.org)
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 11:15:43 -0600
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Arri London wrote:
> That sounds good. Would give them a bit of a crust, wouldn't
> it?

Yes, the egg whites make the potatoes a little crusty. You can add a little oil to the pan, before you bake them.
From: Kajikit (kaji at labyrinth.net.au)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 12:52:51 +1100
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Arri London dazzled us with brilliant prose:
>The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
>and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
>if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
>in the spice mix.

Go one better - mix the spices INTO a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and brush them over the tops of the wedges. It's more even and uses less.
From: Scott (Heimdall at spamless.invalid)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 03:24:11 GMT
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Kajikit wrote:
> Go one better - mix the spices INTO a tablespoon or two of olive oil,
> and brush them over the tops of the wedges. It's more even and uses
> less.

Less what-oil or spices? If you want to use less oil, just get one of those olive oil misters and give the potatoes a couple of spritzes.
From: Kajikit (kaji at labyrinth.net.au)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 18:29:04 +1100
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Scott dazzled us with brilliant prose:
>Less what-oil or spices? If you want to use less oil, just get one of
>those olive oil misters and give the potatoes a couple of spritzes.

Less spices of course... you end up with a nice even coating of all the spices mixed together instead of having patches.
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:55:04 -0700
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Kajikit wrote:
> Go one better - mix the spices INTO a tablespoon or two of olive oil,
> and brush them over the tops of the wedges. It's more even and uses
> less.

Thanks. Shaking them in the spices gives a pretty even coating, and none of the ingredients are expensive around here. When I do something like that with other foods, I use less of the spices etc than they say anyway.
From: Rhonda Anderson (schumacher11 at bigpond.com)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 02:00:08 GMT
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Arri London wrote:
> The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
> and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
> if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
> in the spice mix.

The spices will stick to the cut parts of the potato quite well, but I imagine that brushing them with the oil may take some of the spice off again.I like to chop unpeeled, scrubbed, potatoes into large wedges. I sometimes shake them in a bag with spices, as in this recipe, but then instead of brushing with oil, I spray lightly with olive oil spray which does not remove any of the coating. Or, you can put a very small amount of oil into a bowl with the potatoes and mix around till all are very lightly covered with oil, then put them in the bag with the spices and shake. You could probably spray first then shake, also.
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:55:46 -0700
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Rhonda Anderson wrote:
> , but then
> instead of brushing with oil, I spray lightly with olive oil spray which
> does not remove any of the coating.

Thanks. We don't have a spray LOL! Always seemed a waste of money.
From: Sean O'Connor (oconnors_35 at hotmail.com)
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 17:05:38 GMT
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just for the record, we're talking about "freedom fries", correct? :-)
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 16:37:43 -0700
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Sean O'Connor wrote:
> just for the record, we're talking about "freedom fries", correct?

Nope. Oven fries.
From: Rhonda Anderson (schumacher11 at bigpond.com)
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 02:35:59 GMT
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Arri London wrote:
> Nope. Oven fries.

And I'm talkin' about oven chips!! or wedges <g>
From: sf (sf at pipeline.com)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 00:20:40 -0800
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Arri London wrote:
> The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
> and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
> if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
> in the spice mix.

Only ONE tablespoon of oil? Use more (toss them in a bowl and drain off the excess oil - if necessary) and use nothing other than the traditional salt & pepper, please.
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:58:16 -0700
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sf wrote:
> Only ONE tablespoon of oil? Use more (toss them in a bowl
> and drain off the excess oil - if necessary) and use nothing
> other than the traditional salt & pepper, please.

One tbs oil is plenty for a kilo of spuds! Only meant to be a coating, not a marinade.

Spoilsport! If I wanted only salt and pepper (and garlic and rosemary, which we like), I wouldn't have gone looking for more interesting recipes...
From: blacksalt (kalanamak at qwest.net)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:24:08 -0800
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sf wrote:
> Only ONE tablespoon of oil? Use more (toss them in a bowl
> and drain off the excess oil - if necessary) and use nothing
> other than the traditional salt & pepper, please.

Don't forget that crucial step I first saw in JOC: soak your cut taters in ice water for 20 minutes (you can get the oven nice and hot in the mean time), and then dry with a towel. This makes the difference between hot and filling, and just perfect oven taters.
From: blake murphy (blakem at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 16:42:33 -0500
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sf wrote:
>Only ONE tablespoon of oil? Use more (toss them in a bowl
>and drain off the excess oil - if necessary) and use nothing
>other than the traditional salt & pepper, please.

i put my wedges in a plastic bag, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and whatever dry spices you fancy (usually seasoned salt for me, maybe pepper), and kind of massage them around in the bag until coated. then in a greased corningware glass pan, into the oven at 475 f. for 15-20 minutes. stir 'em up once or twice. (without fail, i burn my hand somewhere.) this is for 1 to 1 1/2 medium-to-large russets.
From: stan at temple.edu
Date: 22 Mar 2003 13:19:05 GMT
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Arri London wrote:
> The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
> and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
> if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
> in the spice mix.

Sure. Try it and find out how the recipe works with your adaptation. It sounds like a good idea and since cooking is all about experimentation, the best thing to do is try your method with a couple of potatoes to see how well it works for you.
From: sheellah at aol.com (Sheellah)
Date: 22 Mar 2003 13:36:14 GMT
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What does the soaking in ice water do? Can you skip that step?
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:59:37 -0700
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Sheellah wrote:
> What does the soaking in ice water do? Can you skip that step?

Removes excess starch, which would inhibit crisping, and would also firm up potatoes not quite on the mark.

That's always done with good home-made chips (fries) meant to be fried, and I do it when roasting raw potatoes.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 08:10:17 -0600
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Arri London wrote:
> The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
> and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
> if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
> in the spice mix.

Don't know about that recipe, but I have this one from Cooking Light, around 1986:

Greek Oven Fries

2 medium baking potatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive oil
pepper to taste

Wash potatoes. Cut lengthwise into 8 wedges each. Place in a bowl of cold water with a little lemon juice for 30 minutes. The lemon juice keeps them from turning brown.

Drain well. Toss wedges in oil to coat. Place skin-side down on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle well with oregano and salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

I've tried these; they are tasty and crispy outside, tender and fluffy inside. But you have to use the right kind of potatoes... not ones that tend to be waxy like red or yukon gold.
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 08:00:44 -0700
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Jill McQuown wrote:
> Don't know about that recipe, but I have this one from Cooking Light, around
> 1986:

Thanks! Have been doing similar, with rosemary and garlic. Delicious with more fresh lemon juice squeezed over the top of the finished potatoes!
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 12:17:20 -0600
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Arri London wrote:
> The recipe said to roll the potato pieces in the spice mix
> and then brush with oil. Thinking that it might work better
> if the potatoes are brushed with oil first and then rolled
> in the spice mix.

You could always do what we in the Southern U.S. call "potato logs". Quarter baking potatoes and then dip them in an egg batter like you'd use for fish or chicken. Deep fry them until golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I try to avoid these because they are very fattening. But also very delicious!
From: Arri London (biotech at ic.ac.uk)
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 16:38:56 -0700
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Jill McQuown wrote:
> You could always do what we in the Southern U.S. call "potato logs".
> Quarter baking potatoes and then dip them in an egg batter like you'd use
> for fish or chicken. Deep fry them until golden on the outside and fluffy
> on the inside. I try to avoid these because they are very fattening. But
> also very delicious!

LOL! I used to get those at my local chippie in London. The batter had curry spices in it and was misnamed 'Bombay potatoes'. Really tasty, but definitely greasy!