French fried potatoes are probably the side dish almost everyone chooses at a restaurant when ordering burgers, hot dogs, steak, chicken, sandwiches, or they move it from a side dish to a full-on meal. It’s not surprising many people want great fries at home, too. Fries are where it’s at!
The Side Dish Everyone Loves: French Fried Potatoes
BUT, most people aren’t successful with homemade french fries. They never taste quite the same as the ones restaurants are churning out, and they’re never a crisp, right? Even if you have your own deep fryer, there’s always a major letdown when you sit down to dine on your homemade burger and fries. At home, I often find using an air fryer, toaster oven, or my regular oven, produces some perfect french “fried” potatoes.
In reality, it’s more about the cut and moisture level, than the frying technique! Let’s dip into these recipes and enjoy perfectly prepared homemade french fried potatoes.
Air Fryer Fries
These are absolutely the most simple and basic fries you’ll ever make. Three ingredients: potatoes, olive oil, and salt. My only issue with this one is how labor intensive it is. This one takes a long time IF you want crispy fries, that is. Take a crack at Love and Lemons Air Fryer Fries.
Crispy French Fries
The key to The Bossy Kitchen’s Grandma Style french fries: soaking them in cold water after cutting them. When you soak the cut potatoes in cold water for around 25 minutes, it releases the starch and as long as you dry them off before frying, you’ll have crispy french fries to enjoy.
Thin & Crispy Fries
Thin & Crispy Fries from Serious Eats has home cooks boil the cut potatoes in salted water and drying them before frying them. It makes for a nice cook on the inside and a crispy outside.
Garlic Parm Fries
Plain french fried potatoes can become boring, so when given the chance I love to do a garlic parm version. What I love about Spend With Pennies Garlic Parmesan Fries is the fresh garlic instead of garlic powder for the buttery topping the fries are tossed with. Definitely a show stopper.
Steak Fries
If you’re into the chunkier fries, also known as steak fries, The Suburban Soapbox’s Steak Fries recipe is perfect for you. I think the apple cider vinegar adds a little something to the potatoes…. totally elevates the steak fries.
Parmesan Steak Fries
These may not have real garlic, but you can definitely swap out the powder to fresh garlic for The Rose Table’s tasty steak fries recipe.
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Fries became popular in restaurants years ago. They always up-charge when swapping regular fries for sweet potato french fried potatoes. Do I love them? Not unless you’re making them like Love and Lemons Sweet Potato Fries.
Are you a french fry lover? If you want to have great ones at home it can take a bit of practice – but, once you’ve mastered your perfect french fried potato (even if it is baked instead of deep fried) you’ll never need to order them out again. Unless you want to, of course. Personally, I ask the server to swap it out for some onion rings – because I still can’t get those right at home.
