Gilroy Garlic French Fries
These French fries are made with real Gilroy garlic, olive oil, and herbs for a delicious, crispy, and flavorful side dish.
These French fries are made with real Gilroy garlic, olive oil, and herbs for a delicious, crispy, and flavorful side dish.
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 4 large russet potatoes [long lengthwise]
- 1 9.5 oz bottle minced squeeze garlic with olive oil [use entire bottle]
- 1 tablespoon each: extra virgin olive oil - dried parsley - thyme-salt-onion powder-garlic pepper
- 1 large ziplock bag
- 1 bottle garlic powder & granulated garlic
- 1 tub sour cream
- 4 tablespoons chopped chives
- Carbohydrate 0.522 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0876 g
- Fiber 0.3 g
- Protein 0.3924 g
- Saturated Fat 0.01752 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (26g)
- Sodium 5232.69001061557 mg
- Sugar 0.222 g
- Trans Fat 0.02664 g
- Calories 4 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut potatoes into French fry form and soak in ice water for 30 minutes. This step is very important as it makes your fries crisper.
- Lower oven rack to lowest point in your oven.
- Preheat over to 450degrees.
- Mix everything in a Ziplock bag except Sour Cream, garlic powder, sea salt and potatoes.
- After 30 minute chill, dry fries completely.
- Place 1/2 of your fries in your ZipIock Bag and massage well.
- Arrange fries on non stick tinfoil or sprayed tinfoil.
- Add your other half of fries in bag and repeat.
- Sprinkle garlic powder, Granulated garlic and 1/2 tbs sea salt over fries.
- Place fries on lowest rack and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Watch your fries closely after 20 minutes to make sure garlic isn't burning. Burnt garlic does not taste very good.
- Flip fries over 15 minutes in to bake time and sprinkle again with garlic powder and remaining sea salt. Put back in oven for 15 minutes.
- Since there is thyme in this recipe, sour cream is the VERY best condiment to serve these garlic fries with. However, if you omit the thyme, ketchup works well.
- Authors Note: You can deep fry these garlic fries as well.
Standard diner fries rely on a simple dusting of salt, but this version builds an aromatic crust using raw garlic, olive oil, and dried herbs baked at a scorching 450 degrees. Soaking the cut russet potatoes in ice water for thirty minutes leaches out excess surface starches that would otherwise caramelize too quickly and burn before the interior cooks through. Thoroughly drying those potato pieces with towels prevents steam from forming inside the oven, which is the primary mechanical failure that turns baked fries into limp wedges.
Ingredient Adjustments and Their Culinary Consequences
Using bottled minced garlic suspended in oil introduces significant moisture compared to fresh cloves, so the massaging step inside the plastic bag distributes the oil and aromatics evenly across every surface. Swapping dried thyme for fresh herbs alters the flavor profile significantly, which directly impacts the recommended dipping sauce; the herbal notes pair best with a cool dairy fat like sour cream rather than traditional tomato ketchup. Substituting standard table salt for coarse sea salt changes the dissolution rate on the potato surface, requiring careful monitoring during the final ten minutes of the thirty-minute bake time.
- Garlic burning prematurely? Lower the oven rack from the bottom position to the middle shelf to reduce direct radiant heat from the lower element.
- Fries lacking crispness? Ensure the potato batons are completely patted dry after their ice water bath before oil is applied.
- Soggy texture developing? Space the fries in a single layer without overcrowding the baking sheet to allow proper air circulation.
