In my town, it’s been a little over a month of self-isolating. Since I don’t have any kids and can’t work from home, I’ve had a lot of time to lie around and read Little Women and binge-watch Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. And eat. Oh man, aren’t you just constantly eating right now? I’m always on the hunt for something to snack on while I admire the legendary chemistry between Essie Davis and Nathan Page. (Seriously, if you have not watched Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries yet, bake these fries and start it immediately.)
I’ve never been a big popcorn girl, so I turn to alternative crunchy things, and the best crunchy thing is fries. These are thinly sliced, tossed in flour, homemade cajun seasoning and oil, and then baked. They’re super easy, require no babysitting, and you avoid the mess and danger of frying. They’re crunchy and spicy and addictive. My mom and I seriously couldn’t stop eating them. I’ve had to stop myself from making them every day since.
All you need is potatoes, flour, oil, and a few basic spices that a decently-stocked quarantine kitchen should have. But seriously, they’re fries. Do I really need to convince you?
baked cajun fries
time: ~10 minutes prep, ~25 minutes baking
serves 2 hungry people or 4 not that hungry people
ingredients
3-4 small russet potatoes
¼ cup flour
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for tossing
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
*1/8 teaspoon cayenne
*if you like a lot of heat, up it to ¼ teaspoon. If you don’t like heat, just omit it.
directions
- Peel and slice potatoes into ¼ inch matchsticks. Soak in a bowl of ice water for at least 20 minutes. While the fries are soaking, preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat dry with a towel, then place fries and flour in a Ziploc bag and toss until the fries are thoroughly coated.
- Mix oil and spices together, then toss with the flour-coated fries to combine.
- Bake on parchment-paper lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, toss halfway through if you feel like it, but I usually don’t.
- Toss with more salt to taste as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool before eating.
To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 350 for 10 minutes.