French fries are extremely delicious always, there’s no denying that. There’s an easy way to get them to a whole new level that takes only a few seconds. Garlic Parmesan Fries are so easy to make and taste really delicious. Get yourself some spices, and finely grated parmesan and make the perfect treat.
How to Make Garlic Parmesan French Fries
Making Garlic Parmesan French Fries is really easy. First, we’re going to use a deep fry technique to cook our homemade fries. Not only that, but we’re doing a double fry. Double frying is great for getting really crispy potatoes with a lovely soft interior. Once they’re fried, we toss them with spices, parmesan cheese and fresh parsley before serving. Don’t worry, you’ll get the full recipe from me with all the tips and tricks to get them perfect.
Methods to get the best French fries
I know that we’re all looking for different ways to fry or “fry” potatoes to get the best results at home. You can make Garlic Parmesan fries at home with any of these methods with slightly different results between them.
- Deep Fry: One-time frying for potatoes works great, it’s a classic cooking process. You get a nice enough exterior and a soft interior.
- Double Fry: Double frying is just the best for me personally for homemade french fries. It guarantees that the potatoes are cooked through and get that lovely crispy outer layer on the outside.
- Air Fry: Can you make fries in an air fryer? Of course. I think air frying fries is perfectly fine as an everyday option where you don’t want to make a mess deep frying. They turn out crispy enough (although not as even) and fully cooked. To make them, toss the potatoes in oil (vegetable oil or olive oil), salt and pepper and air fry at 180C/350F for 15-20 minutes. Try to get them in a single layer in the basket and toss them halfway through.
- Oven-baked fries: Baking has got to be my least favourite way of making fries. Are they truly fries or more like roasted potatoes? The result isn’t great. If you’re still making them though, toss in oil, salt and pepper and get them spaced out on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 200C/400F for 25-30min or until golden.
How to make double-fried garlic parmesan French fries
Double frying French fries is a method where you first fry the potatoes at medium-low heat (130C/270F) until they are cooked through and soft first. Then, you remove them, place them on paper towels, let them cool down and fry them at a higher temperature (180C/350F). This second step is what makes crispy fries. I recommend that you use a cooking thermometer for this to be more precise. However, you can also get an idea of the amount of bubbles you want to see in the oil at the different stages from the video inserted in this article. The cooking time will be of about 5 minutes for the first stage and 4-5 minutes for the second. These will be the greatest Parmesan Garlic Fries you have ever tried!
Using frozen fries
If you’re using a bag of frozen fries, you have half the job done for you. Frozen fries are pre-cooked so that the first stage of the double frying is already done for you. In this case, you just need to fry them straight from frozen in hot oil. Again, the oil should be at 180C/350F but be mindful of the temperature drop when you insert the frozen fries and increase the temperature to try to get it stable. Frozen fries are a great option when making Garlic Parmesan Fries. It makes for an easy side dish for your favourite weekend meals.
Garlic Parmesan Fries
That’s a lot of talk of fries and no talk at all on how we can make these into Garlic Parmesan Fries. In a small bowl, you’re going to mix all the spices and salt and reserve that until ready. Once you have cooked the potatoes and they’re ready, toss the hot fries in the rest of the ingredients to get them nice and tasty. Here’s what you will need:
- Parmesan cheese: A good parmesan cheese can make a difference in the flavour of the dish. You can use a general parmesan cheese or you can go for a better-quality Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano. Either way, use a fine grater to get that thin so it sticks to the fries as it melts.
- Garlic Powder vs Fresh Garlic: here I used garlic powder to get that punch of flavour without the fire-breathing aftermath. Now, if you prefer to use fresh garlic cloves, that’s perfectly fine too! Use minced garlic and incorporate it into the rest of the spices.
- Paprika: This is a spice I cannot live without. Its smokiness is welcome in these Garlic Parmesan Fries and the colour is really attractive, too!
- Oregano: This is optional, but a bit of it goes a long way in adding another layer of flavour.
- Salt: Seasoning fries is a really important step. The right amount of salt will cause your taste buds to wake up and sing. Too little and they will be flavourless, and too much… well, you know what happens then. Add a bit at a time and taste as you go.
- Fresh Parsley: I finished these Garlic Parmesan French Fries with chopped fresh parsley but you could also go for chives or green onion.
How to keep fries hot
At home, we need to work in batches as we fry. If we overcrowd the pan with hot oil, the temperature will drop. As you fry the second and third batches, the first ones will become cold and start to get soggy. To prevent this, use a baking tray with an oven-safe cooling rack. Spread the fries on top and place them in a preheated oven at 150C/300F until they’re ready to go. Once they’re all ready, toss in the spices and parmesan and serve.
Crispy Garlic Parmesan Fries Recipe (Double Fried)
Ingredients
For the fries
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 L vegetable oil canola, sunflower or peanut
For Finishing
- Salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
- 40 g parmesan cheese finely grated
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into thin sticks.
- Place the potatoes in a deep bowl, cover with water, add salt and mix. The salt will draw out excess moisture from the potatoes. Soak for 2 hours. This step can be skipped if you need the fries asap.
- Drain the potatoes and dry thoroughly them using paper towels.
- Preheat the oil over low-medium heat or at 130℃/270℉ if using a food thermometer.
- Add about ⅓ of the potatoes to avoid overcrowding the saucepan and let them cook until they're soft and you can easily go through them using a knife, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove them from the oil and place them on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Let them cool down completely.
- Preheat the oil to medium-high heat or 180℃/350℉ if using a food thermometer.
- Add ⅓ of the potatoes again and this time remove them when they're very golden. Place them on a baking tray with a cooling rack on top. You can keep them hot in the oven at 150℃/300℉ as you fry more.
- Mix the salt and spices in a small bowl and sprinkle the mix over the potatoes, mixing in between. Repeat with the parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately.