Steak Fries

When asked, most people would probably say their favorite fries are waffle, shoestring, or curly. But the first time I ever had steak fries—or potato wedges as KFC called it—I was hooked. 

For the true potato lover, what’s not to like? A solid layer of crispy, seasoned coating shattering and giving way to fluffy creaminess not unlike mashed potatoes, perfect for scooping up ketchup with. They’re substantial enough to be a whole meal on their own, and when steak fries are done right, they deserve to be the main dish instead of the side.

The worst thing about homemade French fries is the frying aspect—the mess of having to deal with leftover frying oil turns me off to the thought of ever making fries, which is precisely why we are not deep frying for this recipe.

Here are some tips to follow for crunchtastic steak fries!

To peel or not to peel. I personally prefer the texture and taste of peeled, but the aesthetic look of unpeeled. Peeled potatoes reveal more starchy surface area, ridding itself of the confines of a fibrous skin. It is, however, this very fibrous skin that keeps these fries more intact, and more picture-perfect. The choice is yours!

Boil it first. Boiling your potato wedges before baking them creates a creamier interior. It makes for a greater contrast as you bite through that crunchy exterior later. This step will also help you cook the potatoes faster, requiring less time in the oven, and help you control just how golden-brown you want your fries in the end.

Adding salt to the boiling water. This injects a little savoriness into the wedges from the beginning of the process. It’s fine to just coat your fries in seasoning later, but why skip this extra layer of flavor when it’s this simple of a step?

Adding vinegar to the boiling water. Vinegar helps your fries maintain their shape a little better through all the boiling, tossing, and flipping. You can skip this step: forgoing the vinegar will give you a slightly fluffier interior, at the cost of more broken fries. It’s all a game of trade-offs.Use oil—lots of it.

Do not skimp on the oil here. If you want fries, you’re going to have to use oil. Even though we’re not deep-frying here, we are basically using enough oil to coat the fries so that they undergo a shallow-fry cooking process in the oven. As for whether or not you can cook with extra-virgin olive oil, the answer depends on whom you ask. I say yes. You can, of course, use whatever oil you’d prefer here.

Use cornstarch. Tossing your wedges in oil and cornstarch will create a coating that is sure to turn crunchy during the bake, and stay crunchy for quite a while after. While you can have fries that have a certain degree of crisp without cornstarch, the chances of them staying crunchy after they cool are slim. Cornstarch and oil will make crunch a certainty.

Use baking powder. It's truly optional. Adding it contributes to a more resolute, crunchier crunch, whereas just cornstarch produces a lighter, airer, crisp-crunch. 

Use your favorite spices. I shook some pre-packaged lemon-herb seasoning on my fries that my mobile carrier randomly gifted me once Christmas (go figure). You can really use whatever here: go plain and simple with salt and pepper, or go snacky with some ranch powder or Old Bay. For a little bit of heat, you can sprinkle on some homemade cajun seasoning, taco seasoning, or burger seasoning. 

If you’ve made this recipe, leave us a rating and comment down below!