These crispy homemade skin on fries are the perfect side dish for any entree! Baked french fries are really easy to make, and keeping the skin on gives them a fantastic texture.
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Rustic homemade baked fries are always a huge success at any dinner table, and pair perfectly with any entree that you like. I prefer to cook my french fries with the potato skin on. This gives the fries a much better texture.
Home cooked chips are almost just as easy as using store bought frozen fries, but taste so much better. Cut your oven chips into chunky home fries, or thin American style french fries, depending on how you like them!
Why you'll love it
- Perfect side dish for burgers, chicken and more
- Easy homemade french fries
- Way healthier than store bought french fries
- Skin on fries have a great texture
- Adjust the seasoning to your preferences
- Oven baked fries contain less fat than the deep fried version
Ingredients
Potatoes: Most potatoes can be turned into french fries, but some varieties are better suited than others. Choose potatoes with a high starch content, as these are denser, and will become crispy rather than floury. Russet potatoes or Maris Piper are excellent options.
Oil: The potatoes require a small amount of oil to become really crispy. Vegetable is a great choice, but any flavorless oil with a high smoke point can be used.
Seasoning: I usually use a combination of salt, paprika and garlic powder on my fries. You can however, use whatever you want. See the Variations section below for some examples.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
One: Wash and slice the potatoes.
Two: Cut the potato slices into french fries. You can choose how thick you like your fries to be.
Three: Place the fries in a bowl, and cover with water. Leave the potatoes to soak for up to 24 hours.
Four: Drain off the water, and pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel. Coat with oil and seasoning.
Five: Place the french fries on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Six: Bake at 425 F / 220 C for about 20 minutes, or until crispy. Turn the fries once halfway through cooking to ensure an even result.
Making homemade fries crispy
It's easy enough to cut potatoes into sticks and bake them in the oven, but how do you make homemade fries crispy? There are a few things to consider.
First, you have to choose the right type of potato. High starch potatoes are best. Avoid waxy potatoes.
Then, you must make sure to soak the potatoes before you bake them. When you soak potatoes in water, you remove any excess starch from the surface of the fries. This allows them to cook better and become super crispy.
Make sure to really pat the fries dry after soaking them. If you try to bake them when they are covered with water, they will steam rather than bake.
Lastly, you have to cook the fries on a high temperature, and with a coating of vegetable oil. The oven must be pre-heated.
When homemade fries are completely dry and free of starch, coated with vegetable oil, and placed in a really hot oven, they will cook to crispy perfection.
Top tips
- Follow the steps above to ensure perfectly crispy french fries.
- Make sure to scrub and wash the potatoes before use. Remove any dirt or debris from the skin.
- This recipe can also be used even if you want to peel the potatoes before cooking.
- The exact cooking time will vary depending on many factors, including the exact temperature of your oven, and the thickness of your fries. I always like to taste test a fry before I remove the rest from the oven.
- Prepare the dish ahead of time by slicing and soaking the potatoes the night before. Then, you only have to season and bake the fries on the day you wish to serve them.
Serving suggestions
Skin on french fries are the perfect side dish for any meal, any time of the year. They are very popular to serve with grilled or roasted meat, burgers, and fast food, and pairs particularly well with American dishes.
Here are some of my favorite entrees to serve them with:
- Crispy Chicken Burger
- Baked Turkey Burgers
- Air Fryer Steak
- Peri Peri Chicken (Homemade Nandos)
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
- Blackened Cod
It's also common to serve them with tomato ketchup, or any other dipping sauces like Honey BBQ Sauce or Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing.
Variations
Spicy fries: Add chili powder to the fries, or serve them with a spicy dipping sauce.
British style fries: In the UK, it's common to cook french fries with salt only, and drizzle over some malt vinegar before serving.
Extra thick fries: Slice your fries into the size that you prefer. Keep in mind that thicker fries might need slightly longer to cook. Keep an eye on them, and remove them from the oven when they are golden brown.
Garlic Parmesan fries: Add extra garlic powder to the fries. Top with Parmesan cheese before you serve them.
Equipment
To make this recipe, you will need a chopping board and knife to cut the potatoes into french fries. You will also need a bowl to soak the fries, and a baking sheet to bake them.
You will also need oven gloves to remove the fries from the oven.
Storage
Baked fries are definitely best served immediately after cooking, as they quickly become soft and lose their crispiness.
You can however store sliced, uncooked french fries in a refrigerator or at room temperature overnight. If you want to prepare fries ahead of time, you can slice them the night before, place them in a bowl with water, and leave them to soak until the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Skin on fries are simply french fries that have been made without peeling the potatoes first. The potato peels, or potato skins, are therefore still stuck on the fries. This gives them a more rustic look, and a great texture.
Absolutely! Follow the same cooking instructions, and cook the fries at the same temperature in your air fryer. You might have to cook the fries in several batches as not to overcrowd the air fryer, and reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
No. Skin on fries can only be made if you use raw, unpeeled potatoes.
You might also like these recipes
- Air Fryer Halloumi Fries
- Air Fryer Rutabaga Fries
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Garlic Parmesan Wedges
If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy!
Recipe
Skin On Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly.1 pound potatoes
- Slice the potatoes length ways as thick as you want your fries to be. Cut the potato slices into french fries. You can choose your desired thickness.
- Place the fries in a bowl, and cover with water. Leave the potatoes to soak for up to 24 hours, or ideally at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 425 F / 220 C.
- Drain off the water, and pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel. Coat with oil and seasoning.2 teaspoons vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Place the french fries on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until crispy. Turn the fries once halfway through cooking to ensure an even result.
Video
Notes
- Serve the baked fries immediately.
- Use a high starch potato, like Russet or Maris Piper.
- Really thick fries might need to cook for a little longer, while skinny fries cook faster.
- Prepare the fries ahead of time by slicing them the night before, and soaking them in water overnight.
Nutrition
Food safety tips
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always use oven gloves when handing hot baking sheets
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
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