Crispy Lemon Truffle Fries: Healthier Alternatives Revealed

French fries, one of the best sides in the world; Crunchy, warm, salty, what more could a girl ask for? While they are delicious, the idea of deep frying can be frightening to some, especially considering the risks involved in handling hot oil. So let’s learn to elevate fries while not burning down your house and starting a fire like I almost once did! Instead of the traditional method, we can explore healthier alternatives like baking or air frying, which can yield equally crispy results without the hazards. But I do love deep fried the best so I’ll make sure to include that too.

Prep work

This is gonna be straight forward, all I want to preface once more is be very careful around the hot oil.

1. Start by washing potatoes and peeling.
2. Once peeled, cut potatoes in 1/8 pieces, the thinner the fry the more crispy they get and faster they cook I find. This would be a matchstick fry style.
3. Wash fries in cold water until water runs clear (no starch); place in fridge for 30 minutes while in ice bath to extract all impurities.
4. Now once fries have finished soaking, rinse once more and place on towel evenly to pat dry. let air fry for 15 minutes to ensure all water is evaporated.
5. While fries are drying, Fill large pot with oil, aim to fill 1/3 way up pot and do not exceed 1/2 to prevent bubbling over. Heat oil to 325F. Use thermometer to check oil as it heats fast.
6. To save yourself time later, place a sheet pan near you and lay out paper towel on top. This will be for the first fry of the fries as we are going to do a double fry.

Deep Frying and Toppings

1. Batch out your fries into 2-4 even piles, you want to fry in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the pot leading to a soggy fry or causing too much bubble.
2. Place pile by pile into fryer, frying for 2 minutes each till complete and transfer to paper towel once complete.
3. At this point fries should look pale and soggy, don’t worry, that’s right!!
4. Raise oil temp to 400F and wait for it to rise.
5. While waiting, whether is air fry, or baking, this step remains the same; grate parmesan to your preferred amount, I like around 3 tbs, lemon zest, some chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and place all in a heat resistant bowl.
6. Now once oil has heated up, fry again in batches, for 2 minutes each; adjust if needed, they should be golden brown.
7. Immediately after removing a batch from oil, place in bowl with other ingredients.
8. Once fries are completed cooking and all in bowl. Pour 1/2 tbs of truffle oil onto of fries and shake fries till ingredients are full combined.
9. Top with freshly grated parmesan, more lemon zest and parsley and Enjoy!

Air Fryer

1. Complete soaking fries and letting dry out from prep work.
2. Before placing in air fryer, toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, can you truffle oil at this step if you wish for a deeper flavour.
3. Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes shaking halfway through for an even cook.
4. Complete toppings section and enjoy!
   

Oven Bake

1. Complete soaking fries and letting dry out from prep work.
2. Before placing in oven, toss with 1tbs oil to coat evenly, use a higher tolerant heat such as avocado.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 450F. Shaking pan every 10 minutes to ensure an even cook.
4. Complete toppings section and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

1. Use different flavour oils for different tastes.
2. Experiment with cheeses for stronger and bolder flavours, for example a spicy parmesan variation, or adding meat in like chopped bacon.