Italian Fries

I needed another fry recipe....right? That's what I thought when I saw this on an episode of Mad Hungry one weekend. I record them and play the ones that appeal me late at night on the weekends. Lucinda was making hamburgers which is a no brainier but the Italian fries intrigued me. Potatoes sprinkled with Italian seasoning, and then cheese and baked until brown. Mmm yum. Count me in. So I made them one night. The family loved them. I would make them a little thicker. But I crave steak fries as a whole.


Italian Fries
recipe adapted by Lucinda Scala Quinn, Mad Hungry

6 or 7 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick French fry-style strips, soaked in cold water
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or some combo of dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, and basil
2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, cut into 6 cubes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper


These are Lucinda's direction's
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread out the potatoes. Overlapping is fine.
Sprinkle the dried herbs evenly over the potatoes. Liberally spread the cheese and parsley on top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cheese. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.
Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pans after 30 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes total. Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Lucinda's Note
Potato Prep: For a French-fry cut, peel the potatoes and slice lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Stack the slices on top of one another, a few at a time, and slice lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick strips. Peeled and sliced potatoes can turn brown pretty quickly. To avoid this, try floating the peeled, cut pieces in cold, salted water. When you're ready to cook, drain them and pat dry.


Here's how I did it;

Spread oil on a pan. I used more than she called for because my pans suck the oil more than the potatoes do.

peel your potatoes. I put them in water so you can slice them up and toss them back into water.

slice the potatoes into four slices

then into slices

toss into the water bowl. This is to get out some of the starch

lay onto paper towels. Make sure they are dry

Onto the cookie sheet (overlapping is ok) and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning

Yes Italian seasoning

Then cover with Cheese. Lots of cheese

Looks yummy right?

Drizzle with more olive oil

and pats of butter

Bake 400 for 30 minutes. Dont turn or flip.

then serve!!