Oven Fries, Red Potatoes

Oven Fries, With Red Potatoes

If you’re looking for easy oven baked fries then this recipe will work perfectly. Oven fries with red potatoes is a crispy quick side to whip up. It pairs well with a homemade burger or some chicken tenders.

Baking French fries from scratch is simple. It’s all done in two pans and requires only 4 ingredients.

Ingredients Needed

  • Red Potatoes: You can actually use any type of potato with this baking method. I prefer red potatoes because of the skin and taste.
  • Olive Oil: Use extra virgin or light tasting olive oil. Or you could use a vegetable oil like avocado.
  • Salt & Pepper: The only seasoning you need. Sometimes I add paprika and chili flakes or cayenne pepper to spice things up a bit.

Prep The Potatoes

I rinse and scrub my potatoes before using them. I also like to cut out any brown nicks.

Once I have scrubbed them, I slice them into fries. Cut them into thin potato sticks. They crisp best when they are nice and thin.

How to Make a Crispy Fry In The Oven

There are two ways to make sure your oven baked fries turn out nice and crispy. Soak them in water with baking soda and then add cornstarch when you season them.

Cold Water & Baking Soda

Cut your fries up and let them soak for 30 minutes, in cold water. Also add half a teaspoon of baking soda. Do this just prior to baking.

Add a few ice cubes to make sure the water stays cold. The baking soda helps to break down the exterior of the fry. Making them crisp more when baked.

After soaking them, make sure you drain them well and pat dry with some paper towel.

Add Cornstarch

Add a tablespoon of cornstarch along with your seasoning to make the fries extra crispy.

Seasoning the Fries

Place the fries back into a dried bowl and add the oil, cornstarch, salt and pepper and stir it in. Or you can season with salt and pepper it once you have spread them onto your baking trays.

Spread Onto Trays

Spread the fries in a single layer onto the prepared baking trays. You can make the pans more full if you need too, but your oven fries won’t turn out as crispy.

Add an even sprinkling of salt at this point and a bit of pepper.

Flipping the fries

This is an optional step but after baking at 425 for 20 minutes I like to remove them from the oven to flip them. Flipping them allows more of the fry to brown. Then I return them to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes at 375F.

How Do I tell When They Are Cooked?

When your oven baked fries are cooked, they will be a light brown colour and have some white and puffy spots. Serve immediately so they are crispy when eaten.

How to Store Oven Fries

Store in an airtight glass or plastic container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat by microwaving or spreading onto a cookie sheet and baking at 350F for 15-20 minutes until warm through.

Oven fries with red potatoes
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4.67 from 3 votes

Oven Fries with Red Potatoes

This is an easy crispy oven fries recipe made with red potatoes and only a few ingredients.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Soak Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, dinner, Side Dish, supper
Cuisine: American
Keyword: appetizer, baked fries, easy fries, easy sides, fries, oven fries, potatoes, red potatoe fries, red potatoes, side dish
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Linda Spatig
Cost: $4.00

Equipment

  • Oven
  • 2 Large baking sheets
  • parchment paper
  • Large bowl

Ingredients

  • 5 large or 6 medium sized red potatoes or yellow potatoes
  • 1 tsp baking soda for soaking
  • 2-3 TBSP olive oil
  • salt and pepper or seasoning salt
  • 1 TBSP cornstarch

Instructions

Instructions

  • Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Peel if desired. Slice the potatoes into thin fries and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Fill it with cold water, add in some ice cubes and stir in 1 tsp of baking soda. Soak for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Strain and rinse the fries. Place on a tea towel or some paper towels and pat dry.
    Place back into a dry bowl and add the 2-3 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP cornstarch, salt and pepper to taste and mix to combine.
  • Spread sliced potatoes in a single layer onto parchment lined baking sheets. Season with additional light sprinkling of salt and pepper or seasoning salt.
  • Bake 20 minutes on 425 F.
    Turn the oven down to 375F. Flip the fries, return to oven and bake for additional 20-25 minutes until slightly browned and crisped. (flipping them is optional but makes them more browned on all sides)
  • The fries are done when they have started to puff and look browned.* If yours haven’t browned be sure to bake them a bit longer.

Notes

Adding the baking soda to the water while they soak helps break down the exterior of the potato. Which helps them crisp. Soaking them in cold water with ice helps to draw out some of the starch. 
Make sure to preheat your oven completely before adding the fries.
Spreading the fries into a single layer is super important. The more space you give them the crispier they will become when baked. 

Easy Sides

If you’re looking for more easy and creative sides why not try these Baked Sweet Potato Rounds?

Sweet Potato Rounds


Or these Crispy Oven Wedges

6 thoughts on “Oven Fries, Red Potatoes”

  1. 4 stars
    These fries tasted great! My only issue was that the cook time wasn’t long enough, so I ended up finishing them under the broiler. They were also a little under seasoned, though that is almost certainly on me. 😂They were very crispy though! Definitely saving this recipe, just need to keep an eye on them in the oven.

    1. Thank-you and I’m glad you liked the recipe. As long as you had some salt I’m sure they were great! Also thank-you for mentioning the cooking time. I’ll be sure to mention it in the recipe notes.

  2. 5 stars
    These red potato fries sound amazing and I love that they are baked. I’m making these with our burgers this weekend!!

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