Hola Mi Gente,
I have this really specific memory of helping my mom organize work receipts as she filed her taxes, with Gone With the Wind playing in the background. There’s a specific scene where Scarlett throws one of her tantrums and is digging up potatoes, and then decides she’s going to take a bite of a raw potato, and then she goes on to one of her famous monologues about never being hungry again (hunger and malnutrition is a real thing, fam, I know, but I’ve never had a lot of sympathy for her character). Anyway, I remember watching that scene and thinking, there are literally so many ways to make potatoes delicious with few ingredients. WHY, Scarlett?? Of all her slew bad (and problematic) choices, eating a raw potato was the one that convinced me there was no redeeming her.
I’m not really sure why that scene and specific memory has always stuck with me. Maybe because I really love potatoes, and I’m sad that someone would misuse one that way. Or because when I make potatoes I’m consistently thinking about how much I love them because they are so versatile. And I get that I can’t put them at the pinnacle of my food triangle, but especially during a season when we’ve been gluten free, I just cling to them a little bit (a lot).
When I first started testing out this recipe a few weeks ago, I pretended I was tweaking it, so that we had it a couple times a week. Really, it was one of those rare, beautiful times when it came together on the first try, and all the rest of my “recipe developing” time was just an excuse to add home fries to our menu. When I think about these home fries, I think–ahh my beautiful creations: I have taken you from a blank canvas, to a Da Vinci with six simple ingredients. Yes, I have zero qualms comparing these home fries to the genius of a Da Vinci work. No I am not taking it back.
There are a couple of things that I look for in a good oven fry:
- Texture: I want a crisp exterior (especially on the pan side), and a creamy soft interior that isn’t too dehydrated.
- A Journey of Flavor: because potatoes are kind of bland without anything on them, I want a home fry to be more than just salt and potatoes. I want a little sweetness, and a little spice to leave your lips pulsing a little bit after eating them.
One very important tip
One of my problems in the past when making home fries, has been overcrowding my pan, and piling my potatoes so that they’re on top of each other. After a little trial and error I am CONVINCED that taking the time to arrange your fries so that EVERYONE gets pan space, and no one is overlapping, gets you the best oven crisp, with no soggy factor. I promise it will only take 3-5 more minutes to do this. You will thank me in the end.
I hope you all enjoy this beauties as often as I have been! Right now they’re definitely one of my go-to snacks and sides.
love, love, love for you and potatoes,
Perfect Home Fries
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs Red Poatoes (about 8) You can use any kind of potatoes you like!
- Olive OR Avocado Oil Enough to coat your fries on all sides
- 3.5 TSP Kosher Salt
- 1 TSP Paprika
- 1 TSP dried oregano
- 3/4 TSP Finely Ground White Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your potatoes into fries that are about 1/2" wide, and 1/4" thick (they can and should vary shapes and sizes!). Toss them in a bowl with your choice of oil until they're coated on all sides. Arrange your fries evenly on a sheet pan, making sure none of them overlap so that they are all touching the sheet pan (this is important to get super crisp fries!). Mix the oregano, salt, paprika, and pepper all together and sprinkle over the fries.
- Place the fries in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, rotate the pan and cook for an additional 20 minutes. At 40 minutes, check them to see if they are golden brown on the top. If not, broil for an additional 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden on top. Allow fries to cool for about 5 minutes, and enjoy!
Notes
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
