Crispy Baked French Fries

I’m back from New York! Sunshine is streaming through my windows, Cookie is snoozing on the armchair and my air conditioner unit is humming. It’s good to be home. I’m still processing my trip—it was wonderful—but I’m not ready to put it all into words just yet.

Thank you all so much for your amazing food recommendations, though! I knew you wouldn’t let me down. It was a whirlwind trip and I wish I could have tried every single recommendation, but I think we managed to eat our way around the city.

One major takeaway from my trip is that good food is good food, no matter where it is made. I’m just as happy eating Shake Shack’s crinkle fries in Madison Square Park as I am with Johnnie’s fries here in Oklahoma. And for the record, Oklahoma is not an unfortunate place to live. I’ve returned with a renewed sense of appreciation for this place.

Lastly, these baked fries might be lower in fat and healthier than their fried counterparts, but they are unbelievably crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I only post exceptionally tasty recipes, y’all.

I feel like I owe those of you who offered suggestions a quick rundown of what and where I ate, so here we go: brick oven pizza at Roberta’s in Bushwick, a hot dog from Shake Shack (when in Madison Square Park… eat a hot dog), authentic New York pizza at Carmine’s Pizzeria in Williamsburg, just about the whole menu at Momofuku Milk Bar in Williamsburg and Midtown (I tried the white Russian milkshake, a chocolate-chocolate cookie, blueberry and cream cookie, compost cookie, candy bar pie, pistachio and almond croissant—let’s pretend that I walked enough to burn all that off) and an unforgettable eggplant sandwich at Momofuku Má Pêche.

We also tried bagels with lox and cream cheese in Madison Square Park (I’m not into lox), Cuban food somewhere in Brooklyn, gelato and beer near Times Square and Indian food in Queens. I can’t forget to mention the stellar little plates of finger food and custom cocktails (like this one) served at the Saveur Food Blog Awards party. Here’s a video of the event by lovely Aube, if you’d like to check it out.

I also had a grand time at Veronica‘s rooftop potluck. As you can imagine, magical things arrive at the table when about 15 food bloggers get together to share food and drinks. I’m still dreaming about Yossy‘s cheese sticks and strawberry pastries, and Veronica’s all-buckwheat, gluten-free version of my crêpes turned out marvelously.

Needless to say, my stomach is full and my mind is buzzing with recipe inspiration. I can’t wait to try cooking my own renditions of my favorite finds. For now, though, we’re going back to basics with perfect baked French fries. I learned the technique from the geniuses of America’s Test Kitchen. Their trick? A ten-minute soak in hot water prior to baking.

I could hardly believe that baked fries could be so crispy, but it’s true. I made a second batch this morning with my new baking sheets just to be sure of it!