Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Oven-Crisp Garlic Potato Wedges


Some nights you run out of time to cook something nice, and out of convenience you're forced to have hot dogs.

Other nights you want to have hot dogs... because there's just something about weird meat scraps shaped into a log that's downright delicious.

In college, I did an "off-campus study" my junior year at New York University, and my friends discovered this nearby hole-in-the-wall cafe called Westville that served the best hot dogs.

There were plenty of other things on the menu but we would go there and order two Hebrew Nationals and french fries... and sometimes snow peas & carrots to share too.

If we were feeling crazy we'd get mac & cheese to share.  But always hot dogs.

The best part was that in the winter Westville had a huge velvet curtain up by the door to block the cold air from coming in... like a nightclub or something.  So my friend nicknamed it 'Club Frank.'

(Get it, Club Frank? Because hot dogs are called franks?  Ok, just making sure :)) 

The second best part was that they sprinkled parsley on the fries so it made it seem like you were eating something much more sophisticated than hot dogs & french fries.

I googled the place for kicks today, and I saw that they've opened up not only a second location on the other side of town, but also a third... which is literally a block from my old office in Chelsea.

Umm thank goodness that wasn't there five years ago, otherwise I would have consumed enough nitrates by now to last me a lifetime.

Anyhow, my point in all this is - when you want hot dogs for dinner, you need something sassy to go with them.

Enter oven-crisp garlic potato wedges.

Over the years I have tried sooo many different recipes for baked french fries, and they just never come out well.  They're always edible, but rarely can they hold a candle to deep-fried, restaurant-style fries.

But these bad boys are a happy medium between fried and baked - you cook them in a little bit of oil that's been pre-heated in a very hot oven, so the outside gets crispy but the inside stays fluffy.

Mmm... crispy yet fluffy.  Potato wedge perfection.


Mr. Vittles really liked them too... although he asked if they were St. Patty's Day fries because of the parsley on top.

Ah well.  It seems the sophistication of Club Frank has been lost on my husband.

Oven-Crisp Garlic Potato Wedges

  • 2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
  • 6 T. canola oil, divided
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1 t. kosher salt
  • 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 t. chili powder
  • 3/4 t. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare heavy-duty rimmed metal baking sheet with 1/4 C. oil, tilting to coat pan, and set aside. 

Place potato wedges in a medium microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Microwave 3-5 minutes until translucent around edges, shaking bowl to redistribute potatoes halfway through. 

Line a large cutting board or your countertop with paper towels.  Remove potatoes from microwave and place on paper towels.  Blot dry with additional paper towels.  (If the wedges are wet, they won't crisp well, so try to get rid of as much moisture as you can.)

Meanwhile, place baking sheet with oil into preheated oven, for 5-7 minutes until just smoking.  In large bowl, whisk remaining 2 T. oil with cornstarch, salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.  Add potatoes and toss with rubber spatula to coat. 
 
Remove oiled pan from oven and place potatoes on sheet in single layer, with flat sides down.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy,  flipping to other flat side halfway through.  Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and blot with additional towels.  Serve warm.
 
Recipe Adapted from Cook's Country

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful wedges! Crispy on the outside & fluffy on the inside sounds just perfect! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. First sight of the photo and I thought, "You nailed it!" These are perfect oven crisped fries. Mine never turn out and I am happy to have your blog to reference the next time fries end up on our menu. Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such pretty wedges.....my hubby would be in potato heaven. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh man, those look and sound so yummy. No guilt since they are baked...right? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely blog you have! I found you through FoodBuzz and have enjoyed looking at some of your posts. These look particularly delicious and made my mouth water. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Girl... My mouth is watering right now like Niagra Falls, those look so good!!! Hmmm... I may have to try these out tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my goodness, these are my favorite kind of potatoes. Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I saw crisp - I saw garlic - I saw potato! Hello delicious dinner!! `wiping my drool`

    ReplyDelete
  9. These look so crisp! I could eat the whole batch!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love it! I always feel like my home made baked fries aren't all that good either. I love that these have the hot oil to make them crispy. Ill take st. pattys day fries all year long ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm loving the sound of these...I'll definitely add these to our menu soon! THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Too bad that my english isn't enough - the recipe seems very good!

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments!

If you have a question or problem you can also feel free to email me at vittlesandbits@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...