Italian Fries may not solve every problem, but I promise these will bring  a little joy into your life!  You can skip the deep fryer with this recipe…these oven baked fries, with crispy Parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings, are going to make you a lifelong fan!

One of the first cookbooks I ever bought was Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  This recipe is a variation of her Italian Fries recipe.  I changed a few ratios and switched the cheese to all Parmesan, but I have to give her credit for this creation!

Here’s how they’re made!

The Potatoes

I like to use russet potatoes in this recipe because they crisp really well in the oven.  But another important factor in getting this recipe right is to make sure the potatoes are all cut into a uniform size and shape.

I do this by peeling the russet potato, and squaring off all the sides of the potato by cutting a thin piece off of the top/bottom/sides.  Can you see how it’s become more of a square-ish shape?

Next cut the potato into 1/4″ slices…

Rotate the potato so the uncut side is now on top and slice that side into 1/4″ pieces and voila – you have fries!  Easy.

At this point thoroughly rinse the potatoes and let them soak in a big container of water to remove the starch while you grate your cheese.  Too much starch on your potatoes can make them gluey instead of crispy and delicious!

Parmesan Cheese

Freshly grate a whole mountain of Parmesan cheese.  Isn’t it beautiful?! I love the powdered Parmesan in green jars as much as the next person, but it’s not going to be as good as the real deal in this recipe.

Assembling the Fries

Drain all of the water from the potatoes and pat them dry.

Drizzle 2 jelly roll pans with some olive oil.

Roughly scatter the potatoes between 2 the pans.  It’s okay if they overlap some, it’s still going to taste amazing!  And as you can see here, you can easily halve the recipe if you’re cooking for less people.

Pile the fries with Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, small pats of butter, and another thin drizzle of olive oil.  Oh, yeah!

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the potatotes are crisp and the cheese is melted and delicious!

A few months ago I posted a recipe for Homemade Parmesan Crisps.  The crispy bits of Parmesan cheese left on the pan after baking these fries taste very similar to the crisps I use for dunking in Tomato Soup.  So good!

Serve right away with ketchup!

Italian Fries

6 to 7 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick fries (cut off the top/bottom/sides to make an even edge)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
4 tablespoon salted butter, cut into small cubes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees

Rinse the potatoes thoroughly to remove all of the starch and then pat the potatoes dry.

Drizzle 2 jelly roll pans with 2 tablespoons each of olive oil. Layer cut potatoes over the olive oil. Overlapping is fine.

Sprinkle the dried herbs, parsley, and Parmesan evenly over the potatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating pans after 20 minutes and cooking for a total of 40-50 minutes. Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with ketchup for dipping.