Spicy Umami Oven Fries
Serve these with other small plates or on the side with Miso Pot Pie. Find the recipe here.
Top photo: Trader Joe’s Crispy Vegetable Pouches. These are an easy, new-to-me frozen appetizer with a flaky shell and flavorful filling.
Late-night dinners comprised of modified leftovers and quick bites thrown in the oven are one of my favorite things. Usually accompanied by a board game and cheap wine, something about all of the above screams “Thursday Night” to me. It’s typically the one day of the week that ends up being my lazy day, a little low on energy and slowly making our way to the weekend.
For this particular meal, I was working with a small batch of leftover Thai golden ginger and peanut soup that was a little low on broth but still had a good portion of chicken and herbs. I heated it and served it on top of rice noodles, garnished with lime and cilantro. On the side I added a new frozen appetizer I hadn’t tried yet as well as some oven fries with a couple quick additions and sauces.
One of the main reasons I haven’t committed to getting my own air fryer is because I still have yet to find something I can use it for that I can’t do the same (or better) in my oven. That’s not to say air fryers aren’t a great tool for some, it just doesn’t seem to be the appliance for me. Plus, I’m not really a fan of big and bulky kitchen gadgets that won’t get much use.
I’ve been making potato fries in my oven for years now. They’ve just gotten better over time and once I finally felt like I’d reached perfection, I started to play around with different toppings and flavors for them.
Here’s a good base recipe for oven fries:
For 2-3 servings: Clean and slice 3 or 4 medium russet potatoes into thin fries or wedges. Leave the skins on for extra texture, but be sure to achieve a good thickness. Too thin and they’ll burn, too thick and they won’t soften enough.
Soak the sliced potatoes in cool water for a few minutes to release some of the starches. Dry well on paper towel.
In a bowl, toss the dried potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, big pinch of salt (the more the better for flavor and to extract moisture), and black pepper. This is the time to add extra seasonings (sans herbs) as well; I typically go for garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika.
Place the potatoes on a large baking sheet, lightly greased, and bake in a 425ºF oven for 25-30 minutes until becoming browned on the edges and golden in the middle. Toss and flip once, halfway through. Broil for an extra few minutes (4-5 on low or 2-3 on high/standard) so that air bubbles form on the surface. This is how the fries get a crispy outside and soft inside.
After removing from the oven, immediately sprinkle sea salt and fresh herbs on top.
Now for the Spicy Umami Fries:
This is an easy mod. Start with the recipe above. When it’s time to add extra seasonings before baking, add a few big shakes (approx. 1 tsp.) of Umami Seasoning.
While the fries are in the oven, make the sauces to drizzle on top.
Sriracha Mayo: Combine 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 tsp. cold water, and ½ tsp. sriracha
Hoisin Glaze: Combine 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and ½ tsp. sesame oil
After baking, lay the fries on top of a bed of cabbage and drizzle with both sauces and top with Furikake blend or fresh chives.
