Well, it appears that there is indeed interest in Cooks Illustrated’s recipe for oven fries so here’s the recipe. Oh, and hi, Kat! Nice to meet you. Rob’s a good, upstanding guy – a fine catch! 😉

These were just delicious. The total time for prep and cooking is about an hour, but I think you’ll find it’s worth the effort! The foil allows the potatoes to briefly steam as they start cooking, and is the key to have a soft, creamy consistency on the interior of the fries.

3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled, each potato cut lengthwise into 10 or 12 evenly-sized wedges
5 Tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Place potatoes in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Soak for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, coat an 18 by 12 inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with 4 Tablespoons of oil and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Set aside.
4. Drain the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out on a triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels.
5. Rinse and wipe out the now-empty bowl; return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
6. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.
8. Using a metal spatula and tongs, scrape to loosen potatoes from the pan, then flip each wedge, keeping potatoes in a single layer.
9. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.
10. Transfer the fries to a second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper and serve.

Notes: Take care to cut the potatoes into evenly-sized wedges so that all the pieces cook at about the same rate. A heavy-duty baking sheet is recommended for this recipe since lighter once will warp in the intense heat. Also, the fries brown better on the heavier weight sheet. I purchased some nice, heavy-duty half-sheet baking pans from my local restaurant supply store for about $5 apiece and they’ve proven to be a fantastic purchase.