I really love potatoes. Any kind of potatoes. Someone told me that potatoes were good for weight loss. But I am not sure if these potatoes count considering that you add a whole lot of butter, evoo, and cheese!
I made these with Jessi in Chicago, and a few times here as well. The trick is to make sure all of the potatoes are cut evenly, otherwise they cook at different speeds and you end up with a few cheesy mashed potatoes and a few burnt shoestring fries. Once you get the balance though… they are MAGICAL. Super cheesy, delicious, and amazing.
Italian Fries (from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
- 4 medium/large russet potatoes sliced into 1/3 inch fry-strips soaked in cold water for at least 45 minutes (I use less potatoes than Martha – higher cheese ratio!)
- 4 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T dried italian herbs
- 2 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves, freshly chopped
- 4 T salted butter cut into cubes
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain potatoes and pat dry with paper towel. Spread 1 T of olive oil on each of 2 rimmed greased baking sheets (I use Crisco spray) and spread out potatoes. Martha says to overlapping is okay – but I like to lay them out flat.
- Sprinkle herbs evenly over potatoes. Spread LOTS of cheese and parsley all over the top. If it looks like you need some more cheese – add it. You cannot have too much cheese – ever.
- Drizzle remaining 2 T of olive oil over cheese. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans evenly.
- Bake until potatoes are golden brown. (45-50 minutes) Rotate pans every fifteen minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all of the delicious cheese crisped on top!
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
These can be reheated in the oven the next day and are JUST as good. Just make sure to remember to re-spray the aluminum foil with some cooking spray – otherwise the cheese gets stuck to the pan. Enjoy these – they are DELICIOUS!
Prep & Circumstance 