Crispy Baked Rosemary Garlic Fries

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

A crispy baked french fry with tons of flavor from fresh garlic and rosemary.

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Course Side, Snack

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan

Freezer Friendly No

Does it keep? Best when fresh

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 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

*Public serves these with a mustard aioli and cumin ketchup, but regular ketchup is fine, too. They’re also excellent as is.
*Adapted from Everyday Annie
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 g Calories: 218 Carbohydrates: 25 g Protein: 2.5 g Fat: 12 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 300 mg Fiber: 4 g Sugar: 1 g