Olive Oil Fries with Garlic and Rosemary

a paper towel lined baking tray filled with fried potatoes, garlic cloves and rosemary.

5 from 2 votes

Olive Oil Fries with Garlic and Rosemary

Homemade French fries can be a real pain to make and a bit underwhelming when all is said and done but not these. Cut into irregular "chip" shapes and fried in olive oil with rosemary and garlic these crispy craggily olive oil fries are a revelation!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

1 liter olive oil
4 russet potatoes
3 sprigs rosemary
8 cloves garlic
flakey salt

Instructions

Line a baking tray with paper towels, set aside. Place a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat then pour in the entire bottle of olive oil.
While the oil is pre-heating, peel the potatoes then use a small paring knife to cut out irregularly shaped but more or less uniformly sized "chips". Work your way around the potato, cutting and turning as you go.
Once the oil is loose and shimmering, add the potatoes. Turn the heat up to high and cook the potatoes, undisturbed for about 20 minutes. Once you see that the potatoes have started to form a light blonde "skin" you can begin to gently move them around. Note: if you try to stir them any earlier the potatoes will be very delicate and break apart easily. It's not uncommon in this process to have a few sacrificial potatoes stick to the bottom of your pan and burn. It may be tempting to try and prevent that with stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan but I've found its best to just let them be rather than risk breaking up the rest of the fries.
Turn the oil temperature back down to medium-high. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown. At this point you can can add the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. Continue cooking until the potatoes a golden brown, about 5-10 more minutes. Turn off the heat, use a slotted spoon to transfer the fries to the prepared baking tray. Season generously with flakey sea salt. Serve warm.

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions:

Olive Oil: Neutral Oil like; canola, safflower, avocado or grape seed oil will all work just fine.
Russet Potatoes: Russets are the only potato I;ve found that really work with this technique. I've tested this recipe with Yukon Gold potatoes and they just don't get quite as crisp. Russets are low in moisture and high in starch which is the perfect combo for these crispy fries.

Save and Re-use Your Olive Oil: You will need an entire (1L) bottle of olive oil to make these fries. Don't throw the oil away when you're done. Once cool, strain the leftover oil through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. Store in a cool, dark place and it can be used again for frying at least 2-3 more times.

Nutrition