One of my favourite indulgences is, you guessed it… some nice CRISPY french fries! And the crispiness is 100% key. I am going to show you have you can make your own crispy french fries at home, with only 3 (healthier) ingredients too!
Healthier you say?
Yes, healthier because we are using avocado oil in this recipe & we are not deep frying the fries in inflammatory oils (like the fast food chains & most restaurants do). Why avocado oil? It is my favourite oil to use for high heat cooking as it has a high smoke point. I also love using ghee & grass-fed butter for high heat cooking but avocado oil is a great dairy-free option & optimal for this recipe as it has such a mild flavour.
The potatoes
When making these french fries, I recommend making just enough. By that I mean, that these don’t store well with regards to crispiness. You can definitely store the extras & then re-heat them at 400 degrees F when you are ready to serve them again, but they never really get that optimal crispiness like when they were first cooked! For that reason, if you’re like me & crispiness is a MUST, I make just enough.
Why do I soak my fries in salt water?
Flashback to chemistry 101, osmosis. Water follows salt. By creating a salty environment around the fries, this will help draw out excess water from the potatoes. This will ultimately leave us with a super crispy, rather than mushy, final product. I see a lot of people soaking their fries in water but omitting the salt. I have found that using salt water makes a huge difference in the overall crispiness of the fries once they are finished.
Two Methods
I wanted to make sure to test these fries out in both the air fryer & my oven. I LOVE my air fryer but I know not everyone has one of these but most people have access to an oven. Don’t worry they are perfect both ways. The air fryer just cooks them up a little bit more quickly.
Need something to serve with these fries?
PALEO + WHOLE 30 APPROVED CHICKEN TENDERS [LOW-CARB & DAIRY-FREE]
THE BEST PALEO + GRAIN-FREE PIZZA POCKETS [GLUTEN, DAIRY & NUT FREE + VEGAN OPTION]
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The Best Crispy French Fries [2 ways]
- Prep Time: 1 Hour
- Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 Hours
- Yield: 4–6 Servings 1x
Description
The days where you can only get crispy fries from a deep fryer are long gone! I am going to show you two ways to make crispy french fries at home, only using 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 10 small potatoes*
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp pink salt
Instructions
Prep:
- Wash & then thinly slice the potatoes so that they are all relatively similar in size.
- Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl covered with cold water & 1-2 tbsp of salt for at least an hour & up to overnight.
- Drain the fries & let dry completely. I laid them on paper towel & also used this to pat them dry & rest for 30 minutes.
- Once dry add the prepped fries to a clean & dry bowl. Add the avocado oil & pink salt, tossing well.
- See below for the two separate baking methods following the prep.
Air Fryer Method:
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F (this was the ‘chip’ setting on mine).
- I cooked them in two small batches to evenly cook them & make them even crispier.
- I cooked mine for 20-25 minutes tossing at 10 minutes, 15, 17 & 20 minutes.
- Once they are thoroughly cooked, & crispy on the outside they are done & ready to be served immediately!
Oven Method:
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the fries on a parchment paper lined baking tray, evenly so they are well spread out & separated.
- I baked mine for 35-40 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- They are done when they are nice & crispy on the outside. Keep an eye on them as baking times may vary depending on the oven.
Notes
*I recommend halving this recipe if you are only serving a couple people as these fries are best served right away. If you don’t plan on eating them all at once you can store them in the fridge & then bake at 400 F to warm up but they are always best if they can be consumed following initial baking!
* Regardless of what baking method you choose, keep an eye on your fries while baking or air frying as baking times can vary & you do not want to burn or under-cook your fries.
- Category: Appetizer + Side
- Method: Air Fryer + Oven
- Cuisine: Dinner
Keywords: french fries, homemade, crispy, healthy, avocado, whole 30, paleo, grain free, gluten free, healthy
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