Un-Fried French Fries

I found this recipe in a Kraft magazine.  I even found a video online that shows some kids helping to make them.  I will write the original recipe, and then I will tell you what changes I made and why.  Baking these fries instead of frying them and using KRAFT Light House Italian Dressing and KRAFT Reduced Fat Parmesan Style Grated Topping gives you a savings of 285 calories, 20 g of fat and 4 g of saturated fat per serving when compared to the same amount of fast-food french fries.

Ingredients:
3 baking potatoes
1/4 cup KRAFT Light House Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Reduced Fat Parmesan Style Grated Topping

HEAT oven to 425°F.
WASH potatoes; pat dry with paper towels.

CUT into 1/4-inch-thick sticks; place in large bowl.

ADD remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

SPREAD potatoes into single layer on large baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray potatoes with additional cooking spray.



BAKE 22 to 24 min. or until potatoes are crisp and golden brown, turning after 12 min.



CHANGE #1 - When I made this recipe the first time, there was just something lacking in the flavor of the dressing/cheese alone.  So, I added the following spices to the dressing before adding it to the bowl of potatoes.

1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. paprika

If you want to skip the dressing and cheese all together, you can use 2 Tbs. sunflower oil, and 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp. of pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder and 1/4 tsp. paprika.  Salt and pepper to taste after baking.

CHANGE #2 - When I made this recipe for the first time, my fries were somewhat mushy instead of crispy.  There are a few solutions for this, and they are as follows:

1. After slicing the potatoes, rinse with cold water and pat completely dry with a towel.  This removes some of the starch and helps make the fries crispier.  Bake an extra 10 minutes or so if needed.

2. Cut the slices thinner than 1/4 inch and follow the above instructions.

3. Raise the temperature to 450 degrees and don't cook quite as long.

CHANGE #3 - When I made this recipe for the first time, my mushy fries also stuck to the cookie sheet and my wife was not very happy with me.  To fix this, you can try baking the fries on parchment paper instead of directly on the tray.  This seems to keep the pan from getting messy.