Today I put on a puppet show about why we shouldn’t use bathroom words in public. Oh, is this not what you did at your job? Just another day in the life of a Kindergarten teacher. It was one of my best performances I think…no more of these talks for a while. It was day two of the new school year, and it was both exciting and exhausting at the same time. Tonight, I celebrate my very last night of summer vacation before my second semester of culinary school begins. Quite a busy week. Before beginning school in January, I got myself ready by watching Julie and Julia. A blogger and a culinary mastermind all in one movie? That’s my kind of flick.
I had to re-watch Julie and Julia tonight mostly because I am a creature of habit. I love traditions. I am SO excited to go back to school, even despite the fact that my day tomorrow involves waking up at 5:40 a.m. and not getting home again until about 1 a.m. the next day. Who needs sleep? I made my favorite comfort food, french fries and burgers, for dinner to go along with my movie. I went slightly healthier on the french fries, and baked them instead of frying. Because I am clearly being so healthy eating a burger slathered in cheese for dinner.
I discovered this technique in an America’s Test Kitchen magazine a while back, and it’s brilliant. It makes the fries so crispy without any actual frying involved. The original recipe was for oven roasted garlic potatoes, but I nudged it in the right direction of french fries. I started by soaking sliced potatoes in water for about 10 minutes. I drained the water and sprinkled a little corn starch on the slices to help crisp them up in the oven. Both of these things are just double insurance that my fries will be super crispy. I preheated the oven to 450 degrees, and popped a baking sheet in there. Once hot, I pulled out the baking sheet and added in enough canola oil to coat the bottom.
I sprinkled on quite a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and put the fries in the oven. They were in for about 15-20 minutes on each side.
When they came out, they were golden brown and lovely looking. I gave them an extra sprinkle of salt and served them with ketchup mixed with a chopped chipotle in adobo sauce and a splash of maple syrup.
So, here I am, sitting here chuckling over Julie and Julia, ignoring my impending loss of a social life. I can’t wait to update you on my latest cooking adventures as I enter semester two.
Recipe: Oven Fries
Serves 2
- 2 large yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 heaping TBSP corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 TBSP canola oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes to get nice and hot. Soak the cut potatoes in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle over corn starch and mix around with hands to evenly disperse. Sprinkle on salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, and continue mixing with hands. Take out baking sheet from oven and pour in the canola oil, rotating the sheet to move the oil around. Place the fries on the sheet, cut side down to help crisp the sides. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Flip the potatoes with a spatula and continue cooking another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven when both sides are golden. Test a fry to see if it needs more salt. I served them with about a 1/4 cup ketchup mixed with a splash of maple syrup and a chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
Yay! Can’t wait for tonight!