Oven Fries

We had three house guests with us this weekend, our nephew and his two friends en route back to bible school from their Christmas break. It was great fun to have them although I will admit I am still awed by how much food teenage boys can squirrel away! I made oven fries to go with lunch on Sunday and they were a supreme hit. It has taken me a while to perfect oven fries as I used to find it difficult to get them crisp enough. I've been making this recipe for a while and while sugar is a very odd ingredient to add,  it makes all the difference.

adapted from All Recipes

serves 4-6

coated potatoes about to go into the oven

6 large sized potatoes (~ 2 1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil  

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder (depending on your love of garlic)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub potatoes well (leaving skins on) and cut into wedges or 1/2 inch thick fries. In a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes with remaining ingredients and mix well to coat evenly (this is important- the fries don't turn out nearly as well if you brush them with oil on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the spices). Add a touch more olive oil if the potatoes are all not well coated. Spread on baking sheet(s) in a single layer without overlapping. Bake for 20 minutes, turn and bake ~20 minutes more or until potatoes are caramelized and crunchy on the outside. Serve immediately!

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