It is barbecue season around here. That means making buns, shakes... and fries. Strangely, people think either homemade fries cost more, especially using organic ingredients, than the junk in the freezer aisle. The amount of potatoes needed, about 3 lbs., cost the same as that frozen bag of GMO garbage, if not less. The flavor of homemade fries is superior to the frozen ones, they do not have the junk-fats, and you can control the salt.

The reason I make fries in the oven is ease of clean-up. Deep-fried is excellent, yet, clean-up is a bit more involved. These DO take more time. Good food does. One of the coolest things about oven-baked fries is that they can be put in the fridge and rewarmed the next day or 3, without being a greasy, nasty mess. You can also freeze partially-cooked oven fries, completely browning them another time.

Oven Fries

about 3 lbs. potatoes*, scrubbed
coconut oil
salt (optional)

*Yukons are the best. Russets, like used in the photos, are still good.

Put scrubbed potatoes in a pot large enough to hold them and enough water to cover by an inch or two. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. This cooks them partially. Drain, put in a larger enough bowl, and put in the fridge long enough to thoroughly chill the potatoes.


Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a large baking pan with coconut oil. Melt a little coconut oil and set aside.

Remove potatoes from fridge. (duh) Rub the skins off, rinse and put on paper towels. Dab skinned potatoes with paper towels to make sure they are dried off. Slice into fry-shapes: wedges and sticks, about 3/8" to 1/2" or so.

Spread potatoes on the baking pan, making sure they are in one layer. (This may end up making 2 or 3 pans of potatoes.) Lightly brush the melted coconut oil over the fries.

Bake fries for 15 minutes**. Remove from oven, stir them around and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until they are the brownness you desire.

Remove to a rack you have put another pan under. Salt to taste. You can also add spices and/or herbs if you prefer. The pan underneath is to catch the salt and/or seasonings. Enjoy!

** After the first 15 minutes, the fries should be starting to brown. If you want to put some away in the freezer for another meal, this is the point you will want  remove to rack to cool, then put the fries in a seal-able container or zip-bag and freeze. I have no clue how long they will keep in the freezer. They never remain in the freezer long enough to get freezer burn in my house.