Comments on: Fries from Scratch

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:28:23 +0000

I’m glad I found these recipes as you get older you become more aware of your health and want to eat healtier and eliminate alot of artafical things that are found in our every day foods I’m going to try kate’s recipe thanks alot for all of your input .

By: kate

kate — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:35:40 +0000

I have a trick to make the oven-fries crispy and yummy. I toss them in a bowl with grated parmesan (and a little oil and paprika, but no additional salt), and then spread them out on a lightly oiled, foil-lined cookie sheet. When the parmesan is brown and crispy, the fries are done. My kids love it. (I also sometimes pre-heat the potatoes slightly in the microwave). I just use the cheap parmesan in the shaker can, i.e. Kraft or equivalent.

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:48:49 +0000

I sometimes roast broccoli alongside the potatoes… the same seasonings I mentioned before — liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and x-v olive oil. Roast until edges area nicely browned with charring on some parts. My kids are not veggie lovers, but they gobble these up! One thing, though, is that you have to make sure there’s enough room in between the broccoli pieces and that the heat is high (at least 400F) so that the broccoli doesn’t “steam”… it turns mushy and gray and not at all appetizing.

I like Linda’s idea of the DIY mashed potatoes, tableside, at restaurants!

By: Kathee

Kathee — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:47:03 +0000

I recently had to give up salt to taste parts of recipes, but found that Mrs. Dash does wonders. I especially like the Mediterranean spices.

By: songsinger

songsinger — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:11:04 +0000

don’t forget the energy conservation by the lower oven time – which saves money too!

By: Donna in Delaware

Donna in Delaware — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:07:33 +0000

If I have the time, I just bake the potatoes, if I don’t, I also microwave the potatoes first, or lightly boil them and then roast them at a high temperature in the oven. It sure does save a lot a time, especially if you’re very hungry or you have guests for dinner.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:39:12 +0000

I use Diane’s method on baked potatoes too. I start preheating the oven about the time I put the potatoes in the microwave. When the oven has preheated to about 400, I take the potatoes out of the microwave and move them to the oven. Usually 20 minutes will do nicely to crisp the outsides and finish cooking the insides.

On an unrelated note, if I’m eating a baked potato in a restaurant, they’re always too dry for my tastes. I ask for a coffee creamer if they have the liquid kind and just dump it on top of the potato along with the butter. Makes a huge difference in how moist it is.

By: Jo Ann

Jo Ann — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:01:35 +0000

I also make sweet potato fries in the oven, but lightly spritz the pan instead of the fries with oil, and sprinkle them with cinnamon. I turn them mid way through cooking, then turn the broiler on the for the last 5 minutes. They crisp up great.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:59:40 +0000

And for extra flavour for Tony’s roast potatoes, sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Fresh out of the garden is best but dried from the bottle will do!

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:07:48 +0000

For reeeally good roast potatoes, try boiling them for a few minutes first and then shaking them vigorously in a sieve. The boiling makes the insides really tender and the shaking roughens up the edges making the potatoes crinkle beautifully in the oven.