This recipe comes with two stories: One, how we happened upon a bustling rosemary pant for just $2.50. And two, how we found a new restaurant in downtown Wichita that feels nothing like Kansas and everything like Portland, Oregon. Two terrific discoveries if you ask us.
First, the rosemary. I instagrammed a photo of our new herbs a couple weeks back and here’s a more flattering portrait of one of our new beauties. We’ve had basil for a while, which was a gift from friends that I use quite often in Thai and Italian dishes. But you can’t go wrong with more herbs. So when John and I were in our local Fresh Market a couple weeks back we saw an amazing deal: 2 herb plants for $5! I couldn’t believe it, and they looked so fresh. We instantly snagged a mint and rosemary and proceeded to the checkout to claim our prizes. The rest, as they say, is history.
The second part of this recipe is the inspiration behind it. We discovered this new restaurant in Wichita called Public that’s so rad we’ve literally been there three times already, purchased two Groupons for meals, and are going there tonight after we finish Christmas shopping.
Though I could say a lot about it, we love that they are committed to using fresh, local ingredients (a rarity in Kansas); serving creative and inspired dishes; and have daily $2 beer specials. Also, the owner used to live in Seattle, a city we’re quite fond of, and follows us on Twitter and totally RECOGNIZED us on our first visit. John and I have NEVER been recognized in public for Minimalist Baker, being that we’re such a young site (born just in June 2012). Needless to say we were flattered, impressed and are now hooked on this amazing new place.
On our first night there we invited a couple friends down and we split the rosemary garlic fries. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything amazing but one bite in and I was literally having a slow-motion intimate moment with that french fry. It was clearly hand cut, perfectly salted and studded with fresh pieces of minced garlic and rosemary. How very creative and delicious. So delicious, in fact, that once the fries were gone I was literally picking the rosemary out of the bottom of the bowl and putting it directly in my mouth. It was all over from there. I set off to recreate the recipe that very next day.
See how it all comes together? We discovered Public which led us to the rosemary which led us to this very recipe: a crispy baked french fry seasoned with fresh garlic and rosemary that’s casual enough to serve with a burger and sophisticated enough to serve to the snobbiest of foodies in your social circle. Trust us, we tried it and it was a winner on both accounts. Happy french-frying.
Crispy Baked Rosemary Garlic Fries
Ingredients
- 3 russet potatoes (roughly peeled and cut into even wedges or strips)
- 2-3 Tbsp avocado or olive oil to rim pan
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (for coating fries)
- ~1/4 tsp each sea salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 large handful rosemary
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees (246 C).
- Soak potatoes in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels or clean dish towels.
- Dry the bowl they were in and then place them back in. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper and toss.
- Generously coat a rimmed baking sheet with oil and drain off any excess. Transfer fries to baking sheet and arrange in a single layer.
- Cover with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven to turn over with a spatula. If they stick, just gently nudge them with the spatula and they will lift off the sheet. Make sure to keep them in a single layer to ensure even baking. Place back in oven to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven, flipping once more. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes more or until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Season with additional salt to taste and minced garlic and rosemary while still hot. Toss and serve warm.
Notes
*Adapted from Everyday Annie
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Makay says
Very tasty!
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Haley says
Is the minced garlic raw when you apply it to the potatoes or do you cook the garlic first?
We used raw in this recipe, but slightly cooked is even better (see this recipe).
Rachel says
I think I sliced my potatoes too thin for these baking times. After 15 minutes they were already pretty brown and crispy, but warm and soft in the middle. I flipped them and let the other side brown just a couple minutes longer before taking them out of the oven. Didn’t seem undercooked at all, I think it’s my slicing game is what’s at fault.
That could be the problem. We’d say take a look at the photos for reference on size. Let us know if you give them another try!
Megan says
could you sub yukon golds for this recipe? And what does the hot water soak do? (we’ve never done that when making potato fries).
Thanks!
Hi Megan, we find it helps make them crispy. We haven’t tried this recipe with yukon golds, but it might work! Let us know if you try it!
Qiana Abrams says
I made this last nite as a side for buffalo wings. They were absolutely amazing. I have already shared this recipe with my sister.
Claudia says
Made this recipe last weekend. It was delicious. I may have used to much oil on the baking sheet since my house smelled like a deep fryer the rest of the evening. Reminded me of fries you could get at a chip truck. I will definitely make again :)
Alaina @ A Not So Quiet Kitchen says
These are so delicious! I made them last night and put them on top of a salad! So good!
Julia says
I made these tonight, planning to have them as a side with dinner. It ended up with me standing at the counter shovelling them into my face. Needless to say, they are DELICIOUS! Thank you Dana!!
doug says
Confused! From the mouth-watering photos in this post, it looks like you made these in a cast iron skillet. Would the directions be the same that way? Also, have you tried recreating the cumin ketchup? Sounds like a great idea!
Julia says
These look delish! :) And I love Public! Awesome atmosphere and food!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I made these last night for a small dinner party, to go with burgers, and they were amazing! I cut the potatoes into smaller sizes, more like regular restaurant fries (but pretty long) and they were the perfect crispiness.
I will definitely be making these again and again.
Maria says
I made these last night as a side for churascco with chimichuri sauce and they were dynamite! Thanks
JaimieG says
What would be even better would be to roast some garlic and rosemary beforehand and turn it into a garlic rosemary infused dipping oil or butter
Hart says
Hey, this looks so yummy and easy to cook, I’ll really try this, Gracias for the recipe!! :)
Kim says
Hey you guys!! These look amazing!! We’re gonna be in Wichita the week before Christmas, so we’ll have to check out Public. Are you around that week?? I think we’re heading up to Abilene and beyond for part of the time, but we start and finish in Wichita. Yay Kansas (…in the winter…)!! :)
Kim
Kim! That’s SO lovely to hear. We will be traveling a bit over Christmas (likely will be out of town the 23rd -25th). BUT, it’s all up in the air so we’re flexible. What days will you be here? If we don’t get to see you definitely check out Public. It’s awesome.
natalie@thesweetslife says
FINISH Christmas shopping? as in, you’re done? oh boy, I better get moving!
and I think I want fries for dinner!
Oh no. I’ve barely begin! We were just done shopping THAT day; still lots to do. Happy fry eating, friend!
Tricia says
I am making these for – oops – I mean with dinner tonight. Okay, so maybe I’ll just be eating the fries. But I will share with my children :-) Seriously – I am so looking forward to these! Thank you for the recipe!!
haha, no shame! I ate these as an entree one time! They’re also excellent alongside chili :D
Laura @ LauraLikesDesign says
These sound amazing and would be the perfect side to a delicious, grilled chicken breast!
Tammy says
My daughter was just saying that she wanted to try to make french fries at home! Can’t wait to try these! Yum!
Tammy
Caitlin says
they look so crispy and delicious!