Oven "Fries"

It has been a long time since I have cooked this recipe and these fries are so good!  They are low calorie and about 3 points per serving.  I figured I had 2 servings tonight, but still less calories than if I had fast food french fries!  These french fries soak in a salt-sugar mixture which helps pull out some of the water in the potatoes so they brown in the oven rather than steam!

The recipe calls for 1 1/4 lbs of baking potatoes.  I did not have a kitchen scale and approximated with 2 baking potatoes.  This might be more officially, but they turned out great overall!  First step is to peel and cut into french fries.  The recipe called for 1/2 inch strips, but I might have ranged between 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Once they have been cut, place into a large enough bowl.  As I re-read the directions it said to only put 1/4 tsp of salt and the sugar into the bowl.  I covered the potatoes in water first before adding the salt and sugar so it did not go directly onto 1-2 french fries.

Let them sit for about 15 minutes.  I set a paper plate on top of them and started working on the chicken we were eating for dinner.

After they have soaked in the salt-sugar mixture, pat them dry with a towel.  In another bowl, (I rinsed the one I was using since I didn't have another larger bowl) toss the potatoes with the oil and paprika.  I slowly added the fries to the bowl and continued to toss to coat the oil and paprika onto them.

Spread the french fries evenly on the baking sheet.  I used parchment paper since we usually use parchment paper instead of a cooking spray.  However, after I looked at the Parchment paper I realized it said safe up to 420 degrees!  I decided to cook the fries at 400 degrees (even though the recipe called for 450) since the chicken I needed to cook was 400 degrees.

Overall, they came out really good.  Next time I cook these I will probably line my pan with non-stick aluminum foil and cook them at 450 degrees F.  They will be even more crispy that way!  However, my 5 year old wolfed these down super fast and they were still more healthy than the fast food version!

Oven "Fries"
(Recipe originally from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, 2006)
1 1/4 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
4 tsp oil
1 tsp paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F; spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and the sugar with cold water to cover.  Soak 15 minutes; drain and blot dry.
3. In another bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and paprika.  Place in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Bake, turning the potatoes over as they brown, until cooked through and crisp, about 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt.

Nutrition: (1/4 of potatoes): 159 Cal, 5 g Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg Chol, 442 mg Sod, 28 g, Carb, 3 g Fib, 2 g Prot, 7 mg Calc.

POINTS value 3.

This post is linked to Foodie Friday.