How to Make Papa Frites ~ Homemade French Fries in oven

These homemade French Fries, or papa frites, are baked in the oven until they're crispy crunchy and (what we chanted in culinary school) G-B-D!  Golden Brown Delicious! 

How to Make Papa Frites (Homemade French Fries in oven)

Make your own Papa Frites and be sure to use a simple trick (explained in the recipe notes) that makes these the best crispy homemade fries ever! My family loves it when I turn this into a one-pan meal by adding heaps of bell peppers & smoked sausages on top of them.

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• olive oil
• 3 bell peppers red, yellow, or orange*
• 1 pound rope sausage
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup various fresh herbs parsley, thyme, oregano (chopped)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º

2. 

   Cut the 4 large russet potatoes into long wedges.  6 per potato. Cut 3 bell peppers and 1 large andouille sausage into 2 inch chunks.  Put the peppers and sausage on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and set aside.
3. Add the baking soda to a pot of boiling water.  Carefully put the potato wedges into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and put them into the large bowl.

Papa Frites Recipe Notes:

To get extra crispy oven-baked French fries, add baking soda to the water that you parboil the potatoes in. Then when they come out of the water, toss them in a large bowl to create a starch slurry coating on them. This coat will make them extra crunchy while they bake in the oven.

How to get extra crispy fries

Serve these chunky crispy home fries with some sausage, roasted red bell peppers, and a side of homemade mayo (aioli) and you've got yourself a real treat.  It's casual and fun!  

Just pile it all up on a big plate in the center of the table. Let everybody help themselves with tongs and if they want to eat with their fingers... go for it!

Want the real trick to crispy Papa Frites?  I learned this from a friend of ours, Ian.  He's an English chef down in Mexico who gives impromptu cooking classes in his kitchen from time to time.  He's a great guy and an excellent chef.

He puts baking soda in the water he boils his potatoes in.  Genius!  The baking soda breaks down the exterior of the potato.  When you pull them out of the water and rough them up a little, you get a bit of a potato slurry on the outside of the potato wedge.  

This makes them super crispy and gives them a beautiful golden brown color too.

Papa Frites Video

Here's a little how-to video on making these tasty little spuds. 

Papa Frites: Meal in One

About 15 minutes before they're done, transform this dish into a One Meal Platter by loading it up with chunky sausage bites, strips of colorful bell peppers and a handful of fresh chopped herbs and garlic.

Other Potato Recipes You'll Love

These two are a couple of our family's favorite recipes. The one-pan lemon chicken has small roasted potatoes, lightly wilted spinach, and a roasted garlic sauce that's divine. The KFC gravy is delish on mashed potatoes or as a dip for these Papa Frites!

• One pan lemon chicken & potatoes
• KFC Potato Gravy

4.8 from 5 votes

Print

Papa Frites (Homemade French Fries)

Papa Frites - A simple trick makes the best crispy homemade fries ever! | www.lakesidetable.com

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, English

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 358 kcal

Author Madalaine

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• olive oil
• 3 bell peppers red, yellow, or orange*
• 1 pound rope sausage
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup various fresh herbs parsley, thyme, oregano (chopped)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º

2. Cut the potatoes into long wedges.  6 per potato. Cut the peppers and sausage into 2 inch chunks.  Put the peppers and sausage on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and set aside.
3. Add the baking soda to the boiling water.  Carefully put the potato wedges into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Remove them from the water with the spider or the slotted spoon and put them into the large bowl.
4. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and gently rough them up a bit by tossing them around the bowl until you start to see them slurry up.
5. Oil the other cookie sheet with a generous amount of olive oil.  Lay the potato wedges out on the oiled cookie sheet.  
6. Put the potatoes on the top rack and the peppers/sausage tray on a lower rack.  Flip each potato wedge after 10 minutes and sprinkle ½ of the garlic and herbs over the potatoes and the other ½ over the peppers and sausage.  Bake for 10 minutes more or until they turn golden brown and crispy.
7. Serve with aioli.  

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

*I like the red, yellow or orange bell peppers, not green.  I find green peppers give people gas and they can taste bitter.

 

Nutrition Facts

Papa Frites (Homemade French Fries)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 358 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 54mg18%

Sodium 1745mg76%

Potassium 869mg25%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 1865IU37%

Vitamin C 85mg103%

Calcium 32mg3%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.