*Healthy* French Fries?

Sounds like a contradiction in terms, right? But here is a recipe, from Emeril Lagasse, that caught my eye.

Usually fries are made with a vat or pot of oil, which can be messy, quite a production, and have lots of calories. But these fries are coated with seasoned egg whites and baked in a very hot oven. The recipe uses only 2 teaspoons of oil! Nothing can compare to McDonald’s fries but these aren’t bad. (BTW Julia Child was a huge fan of McDonald’s French fries.)

Let’s get started: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees This is a very hot oven and will take about 15 minutes to preheat.

The ingredients needed for this recipe are:

• 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 2 large baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 large egg white
• 2 teaspoons of Essence

Essence is an Emeril thing. He makes it in huge quantities and uses it as sort of an *add to everything you cook* spice mix. For this recipe use:

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

When you need to measure out a lot of spices, do it all at once, into a small dish. Line them up in the same order as they are listed in the recipe. After one spice is measured move it to the side, and go onto the next spice. This way you won’t forget anything!

Wash, peel and pat the potatoes dry and slice them lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Turn each slice flat and slice again lengthwise into even fries, 1/2-inch thick.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg white until very light and foamy. Add the spices to the egg whites and make sure they are well blended.

Now add the potatoes and make sure the egg white and spice mixture coat all the potatoes.

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet with sides. Smear 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over the parchment paper.

Spread the coated potatoes on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes. With a spatula, scrape the potatoes from the baking sheet and turn them over. Hang onto the parchment paper when you are turning the fries, so that it doesn’t slide all over the place!

Continue baking for another 15 minutes or until they are golden. Carefully remove them with a spatula to a serving plate. Serve immediately.

If you don’t have any parchment paper, use a non-stick baking sheet with sides. But believe me, the parchment will save on clean-up time!

Cheers!

You can view and print this recipe here.

If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free.