Has the book Fast Food Nation scared you away from eating at McDonald’s ever again? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy French fries in the comfort of your own kitchen and maybe even with reduced calories. Here are two different recipes for French fries: One uses regular potatoes and a frying pan, and the other uses sweet potatoes and and the oven. You’ll need a large, deep frying pan to make the Old Fashioned Steak Fries. My dad taught me a trick that will let you know when the oil is hot enough. Before you turn the heat on your oil, run your fingers under the faucet and flick a few water droplets (just a few!) into the oil in your pan. When the oil heats up, it will make the water pop. When the popping sound dies down, the oil is ready to go. (Be careful not to stick your hands or face near the pan while the burner is on! Hot oil can cause bad burns.) If you are in the mood for something healthier, try the Baked Sweet Potato Fries. They take a while in the oven, but they will disappear immediately once they’re ready to eat. You can put almost any type of spice on either batch of fries, but I find that the best are paprika, cayenne pepper, cilantro, rosemary, Tony Chachere’s seasoning, Old Bay and, of course, salt and pepper.
Old Fashioned Steak Fries Ingredients: Potatoes (about four for two people) Vegetable oil (about 1 c.) Salt, pepper and other spices
Directions: 1. Cut potatoes into long, wide strips. Rinse the potato strips in water and pat them dry with paper towels.
2. In a deep frying pan, pour in about one inch of oil. Turn the heat on medium to medium-high. Wait for the oil to start boiling before adding potatoes.
3. With a long utensil, put a small batch of potato strips into the pan. Let fry for about five minutes, depending on how thick the fries are. Turn them over occasionally.
4. When the fries look golden, take them out and put them on paper towels to absorb grease and cool down. Add salt, pepper and other spices to taste.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes Butter Salt
Directions:
1. Follow the same first step as in the previous recipe. The strips should be pretty thick so that they don’t get mushy. While preparing the potatoes, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brush butter onto pan — just enough to keep the fries from sticking. Lay potatoes onto the pan. Brush a thin coating of butter on top of the potatoes, too.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Add a little salt after you remove the fries from the oven. If you have a sweet tooth, you can sprinkle on a little sugar, or you can add pepper if you want your sweet potatoes to have a kick.