The Best Naturally Cut Fries

I recently saw an advertisement for “naturally cut fries”. Hmm. What is a naturally cut fry? I love how the use of the word “natural” makes us think it’s a healthier option. Unfortunately, the way a potato is cut doesn’t make it healthier. How about instead we make healthier organic fries at home?!? It only takes 3 ingredients and a little time to create the best homemade naturally cut fries right in your own kitchen. Try making this recipe tonight. I promise you it’s worth your time.

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE potatoes so it’s about time I post one of my favorite homemade potato recipes. Making these fries at home is much less expensive than buying frozen organic fries and its so simple! Plus, there are unreadable ingredients in these fries. All it takes is Organic Russet Potatoes, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt. That’s it. This recipe does require an air fryer to make the best organic homemade fries. If you don’t have one yet, now is a great time to start looking!

To make these crispy golden fries at home, simply cut clean russet potatoes with a sharp knife into fries, soak the cut potatoes in water, dry, toss with olive oil, and air fry! The longest part of this process is letting the cut potatoes soak in water for 20 minutes before towel drying and tossing them with olive oil. The air fryer does the rest! Let’s get started. Here is what you need for this recipe…

Ingredient List:

• Organic Russet Potatoes (1 per person)
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt

Kitchen Equipment List:

• Air Fryer
• Large Glass Bowl
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Paper Towels
• Clean Kitchen Towel

Plan on 1 Organic Russet Potato per person. The great thing about this recipe is you can make it for 1-2 people or a large family. If you end up with left over organic french fries, store them in the refrigerator and reheat them in the oven or stove top in just minutes with a little bit of additional olive oil. They will crisp right back up even about being refrigerated. It’s a great way to cook once and eat twice. All you need to do is cut a few extra potatoes and then you will have the leftovers for another meal later in the week.

Before I go any further, I can’t stress enough the importance of using Organic Russet Potatoes! There is a huge (even visual) difference between conventional potatoes and organic potatoes. They are grown differently, the soil is different, and they are not treated equally once harvested. Conventional potatoes are sprayed with a chemical to prevent sprouting after they are harvested, which gives them a longer shelf life. Organic Potatoes skins aren’t sprayed. They are left natural. Ha! You can easily do the experiment yourself to see the difference. Please always choose Organic Potatoes! You can read more about this in my article titled Is Buying Organic Worth It? and see the results of my potato experiment there as well.

Potatoes overall get a bad wrap for being a night shade and the fact that depending on how they are cooked and prepared may cause a spike in blood sugar. However, they are full of potassium, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So they aren’t all bad! In fact, they have about the same amount of Vitamin A, C, and E as an apple with less carbs, more fiber and more protein (0.5 for an apple vs 5.0 grams for a medium size russet potato). That being said, it is not wise to consume them daily but occasionally they are a nice treat!

Since these russet potatoes are prepared raw with the skins on, tossed with healthy olive oil, and you can control the amount of salt, these are far superior than any fry you order at a fast food restaurant. Olive oil has so many healing properties to the body and is by far the best oil for your health. It’s a heart healthy fat and beneficial to your body and brain. After all your brain is 60% fat itself. One of the worst things we ever did as a nation was try to eat fat free. So please don’t fear healthy fats! Your brain needs them!!! Read more about this here.

One benefit of using Organic Russet Potatoes is that they are the perfect size to cut into homemade fries. Organic Russet Potatoes tend to be medium size which cuts the perfect size fry. Conventional potatoes tend to be larger than organic potatoes because of the way they are grown and the fries cut from these potatoes would be super long. I should also mention that I have tried other potato varieties (yellow and red) and they do work for this recipe. However, the Organic Russet Potato makes the best homemade fries!

First things first… These naturally cut fries are made with the skins on. Start by washing the skin of each organic russet potato under warm water, with a natural vegetable scrub brush.

Next, place the potato on a cutting board and point the small side towards you. Cut it lengthwise into approximately 1 cm thick slices (see above). Just for reference 1 cm is just slightly bigger than a 1/4 inch. If you like your fries super crispy, you can cut your potato slices a 1/4 inch thick. Up to you!

Stack 2-3 slices and cut lengthwise every 1 cm (or whatever thickness you cut the slices) to create the fries. These do not have to be perfect! Just aim for all the fries to be about the same thickness so they will cook evenly. Continue cutting until you have all the fries you need. I set the 2 ends pieces off to the side and cut those last. They are usually smaller and make 3 fries per slice, whereas the middle slices make about 4 fries per slice.

Add the naturally cut fries to a large glass bowl. Fill the glass bowl with warm water. Swirl fries around in the water and drain to remove the potato starch. Add water, swirl, drain, and repeat until the water in the bowl is clear. This usually takes at least 2-3 times.

When the water is clear, fill the bowl with enough water to cover all the cut fries. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside for 20 minutes. Side note: I have let them soak for up to over an hour and they still turn out just fine. Twenty minutes is ideal though.

Once the cut fries have soaked in water for 20 minutes, it’s time to dry the fries and prepare them for cooking. Drain all the water from the bowl. If the kitchen towel you used to cover the bowl is completely dry, use it. If not, spread out a clean dry kitchen towel and cover it with 1 layer of paper towels. Place the fries, with small end facing you, on the paper towel like shown above. This will make it easier to roll the towel up and allow them to dry. One kitchen towel will hold about 4-5 cut potatoes. If you cut more than that, you should use an additional towel for drying.

When all the cut fries are laid out, roll the towel up and lightly press down to get as much water off the fries as possible. Allow to dry for 10+ minutes. They can dry longer for up to an hour if necessary, however, about 10 minutes in ideal. While they are drying, rinse and dry the large glass bowl because you will need it again soon…

Pre-heat your air fryer to 400 degrees.

After 10 minutes, place the dried cut potatoes back in the same large glass bowl (only if it’s dry) and toss with Olive Oil making sure to cover all the fries with oil. Start with 1 tablespoon of oil to cover the potatoes. If they aren’t all covered, add an additional tablespoon and toss. Once all covered you may see a small amount of oil at the bottom of the bowl. If not you may need a little more. Don’t waste it though. It doesn’t take much!

Place oiled fries in the air fryer pre-heated to 400 degrees and bake for 15+ minutes. There are a few variables here I should mention. I have a small Phillips Air Fryer with a basket so I fill the basket about 1/2 full to cook the fries faster. The fuller you fill the basket the longer they will take to get golden brown and crispy. Cooking times also vary based on the size of fries you cut. Make a note on the recipe after you make your first batch with the cooking time needed for your air fryer. Mine takes anywhere between 15-20 minutes based on how thick I cut the fries and how full I fill the basket.

The best practice is to check them at 10 minutes. Give them a toss if your air fryer has a basket. Then watch them from there. They should take an additional 5 to 10 minutes. I have found that the second batch I cook usually cooks a little faster. If you are cooking several batches make sure you watch the 2nd batch! Ideally you want them to be golden brown and crispy on the outside, like the ones shown in the picture below.

Once they are finished air frying, remove the fries onto a large plate and sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt. Or get creative! Try a little onion salt, fresh garlic, or your favorite seasoning. A little goes a long way with these fries so start with just a pinch of salt or seasoning.

These homemade organic french fries pair perfectly with a black bean burger, falafel wraps, and are great for chili fries too! Don’t forget that they are even great reheated so make sure to save the left overs.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! I love recipes with simple ingredients where nothing is wasted. This is definitely one of those. Below you will find the recipe for the Best Naturally Cut Fries. As always, I encourage you to use this recipe as inspiration to create your own variation of homemade organic fries! Remember you can always change the thickness of the potato and the seasonings:)

Remember to be creative with your food. It doesn’t have to be complicated and there is inspiration all around you. If you haven’t tried making Fries at home before, what are you waiting for?

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