My pregnancy love affair with all things lemon continues. Recently on the menu are these Baked Lemon Pepper French Fries.
I may not have anything purchased or ready for the baby that is going to make his appearance around here in 6 or 7 weeks, but I do have a really long list of lemon recipes to keep me busy in the kitchen (and at the table, ahem). I actually woke up dreaming about making Lemon Pepper Fries last week, really. Luckily these taste as good as I had hoped – a dream come true, if you will.
You will need a mandoline, because hand-cutting french fries seems way too tedious, but with such a handy kitchen tool, you can have these fries on your table in no time at all. I’ve never had fast food or restaurant fries that could beat these in taste or crispiness!
The lemon pepper adds a mildly spicy kick and a whole lot of flavor to these crunchy fries. I tossed them with lemon zest to add just a bit more lemon flavor and it took them to the next level. If you’re really craving lemons like I am, these are also good with a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice right when they come out of the hot oven.
So, while I may be ignoring some genuinely frightened feelings about having this baby and harboring a good amount of guilt for feeling anything less than happy about new life, I am self-medicating with lemons and french fries and it seems to be working right now. When life gives you lemons . . . make french fries, or something like that.
Yield: 6
Baked Lemon Pepper French Fries
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 large Idaho potatoes, washed and scrubbed well
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons high quality lemon pepper (I like Mrs. Dash's no preservative blend) - or to taste
- zest from 3 lemons
- a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using a mandoline, slice potatoes, with the skin, into french fries. Place sliced potatoes into a large bowl of ice water while the oven preheats, or for at least 20 minutes. Drain the water and thoroughly pat the potatoes dry. In a large bowl, toss fries with olive oil, salt, and lemon pepper. Spread evenly on two large nonstick baking sheets.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating pans halfway through and turning fries occasionally. Fries will be golden and crispy when done. Remove from oven and toss with lemon zest and juice, if desired. Eat them right away!
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