Cheating Cooks Baked (But Fried-Tasting) Chips

Baked - But Fried Tasting Chips

Ingredients:

• Potatoes, cut into fry or tater shapes
• 2-3 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• Cooking spray oil
• Parchment paper**

** Because baked fries like to stick to ANY kind of pan, the parchment paper is needed to ensure we get a crisp shell on the outside.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F-400°F
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking oil spray.
3. Be swift and cut the desired amount of potatoes for your fries, do not cover them with water or anything until they are all cut and in a large bowl together. 
4. Splash the white vinegar over all of the potato fries in the bowl and toss for several minutes with your hands so all the potatoes are covered with the vinegar evenly and your hands reek of vinegar. 
5. Wash your hands and hope the vinegar smell fades. 
6. Add the olive oil to your bowl and toss again until all the potatoes are covered evenly. 
7. Pour the potatoes out of the bowl and onto the prepared pan with parchment.
8. Season the fries with some salt and any other spices or herbs you might want. 
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turn over the fries and bake for another 20-25 minutes. 
10. This is the point when my fries were done but I had done a pretty standard small straight cut fry. 
11. If you did a thicker cut or a tater style yours might still need some time baking, just be sure to turn the fries/taters around every 15-20 minutes or so after this and check on them often.
12. Fries are ready when they have a crisp golden brown shell and look too yummy to resist any longer.

Enjoy!

Ps: March 2014, Switching out white vinegar for a nice cider vinegar gives the fries a really nice extra flavor. Soon to be husband loved them.

Notes:

I think this has come up more than once before but I seriously love potatoes, especially potatoes prepared in a way that is devastatingly bad for you. Like deep fried french fries or taters. Which isn't very good for me since deep frying can add a heaping amount of empty calories.

So what is a girl to do? Goodness knows I wont be cutting out my favorite snacks and foods because that is just no way to live. Instead I've been trying to find a healthier way to get the fried potato experience, last night I think I got it figured out.

So for those nights when you want a deep fried french fry, or the morning when you need a poutine to save your soul but can't bring yourself to leave the house I have Cheating Cooks Baked-Fried Chips! Or if you are more adventurous and want to try to deep fry some home fries, click here!

I am a Nova Scotian Raised Irish-Scottish kind of girl and I prefer my home made fries made with the skin and all. To leave the skin on safely I have a lovely little hedgehog brush, with medium-stiff plastic bristles, and all that is needed is a quick through scrubbing all over to remove any dirt and loose flaky skin. Also be sure to scrape off any eyes, and cut off any discolored, or damaged parts of the potato. Remember the potato is still a good potato as long as it is firm, the discoloring can be caused by a bruise, or a cut or even just sun exposure, if there is a blemish that goes through the skin and into the flesh just cut out the discolored parts, as these nooks and crannies in the moist flesh can harbor some bacteria. Potatoes are a low risk food, but always better to be safer, so says captain safety(me).