You guys!
I am sooooo excited to share this recipe with you! You see, I believe there are a lot of people out there who feel that living a healthy lifestyle means losing out on flavour and decadence and the joy that comes from eating. They may associate healthy eating with never-ending salads, boiled chicken and steamed broccoli. While that may be the case for some fitness pros and others on crash diets, creating balance in my life has always been incredibly important to me. As a woman with a history of addiction, I can tend to be an “all or nothing” kind of person, and it usually lands me in a heaping pile of trouble.
Dieting, restricting, starving, sacrificing and depriving DO NOT WORK FOR ME and they typically don’t work for any of us….long-term.
And I am not trying to accomplish a short-term goal when it comes to my health…I want a whole life of feeling my best!
A few years ago, someone confided in me that until until they understood why I ate the way I ate, they felt sorry for me; they pitied me. They believed I sacrificed, deprived and starved and that I lived a flavourless, boring and sad life when it came to food. BUT, once they tried a few recipes I wrote out for them or recommended, they were truly blown away! They couldn’t believe how yummy the food I eat is, and they finally began to understand that the way I eat has nothing to do with depriving myself; rather, it has everything to do with using food as a tool towards living the kind of lifestyle that allows me to experience joy and freedom.
It was an a-ha moment for them and it reaffirmed for me that I need to continue to share my message so that others can experience this kind of freedom around food, too.
With that in mind, I wanted to share one of my very favourite recipes because even though I love eating well, I still get cravings! Besides pizza and chocolate, French fries are definitely up there on my list, and I am pretty sure I’m not the only one, considering Americans alone consume over 2 million tons of French fries per year!
BUT…the oils that they are fried in often render obsolete any of the health benefits found in the potato. In this recipe, we use avocado oil, which has a very mild flavour (making it PERFECT for these, as we want to taste all potato, baby) and with its very high smoke point, there is no risk of it degrading during cooking. I am a BIG fan of avocado oil and I buy the large bottle at Coscto for under $15.
Did you know that one medium potato offers almost half your daily value of vitamin C? And potatoes are a great source of fiber (leave that skin on!), and potassium. In fact there is more potassium in a potato than a banana! Potassium helps regulate fluids and mineral balance in and out of cells and in doing so, helps maintain normal blood pressure.
So, here it is. My go-to easy-peasy recipe that satisfies a French fry craving while also fueling my body with food it knows how to use.
Win-win.
Balance.
Freedom.
Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.
Better-Than-French Fries
Sarah Roberts
Why I Make These: Who doesn't love the crispy, pillowy, salty, deliciousness of a perfectly cooked French Fry?! They are one of the most popular comfort foods for a reason. But with all of the trans fat in restaurant fries, I like to make my own. In this recipe, we leave the skin on, we roast instead of fry, we use a heart healthy oil and we use only a pinch of salt. All the taste we want, without the stuff that makes us feel bad. Win-win!
INGREDIENTS
Mini potatoes (or cut larger potatoes into medium-sized pieces)
Water
Salt
Avocado Oil (it has such a mild flavour, that you taste ALL potato and it helps the potatoes crisp up perfectly!)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a pot with a tight fitting lid, add potatoes and enough cold water to cover them.
3. Season with a little salt, cover with the lid, and bring potatoes to a boil over high heat.
4. Once the water boils, set your timer for 10 minutes and partially remove the lid, allowing some heat to escape. Turn the heat down so that the water keeps gently boiling, but doesn't boil over.
5. Once cooked, strain the potatoes and dump them onto the parchment. NOTE: They will be hot! You may want to wait a few minutes for them to cool slightly before moving to Step 6.
6. Press down on each one gently until it "bursts".
7. Using a spoon, drizzle a little avocado oil onto each potato, season with a pinch of salt and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Flip them over and continue to bake for another 10-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your fries.
9.Enjoy!
P.S. These can easily be made in batches and warmed up again later on.
P.P.S. Feel free to season with any herbs you like, such as rosemary, chives, garlic....whatever your taste buds crave!
Do my recipes overwhelm you even though I keep promising they are SUPER easy?! Maybe this will help!
Put some parchment paper on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 425°F. Dump potatoes, salt and cold water in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down, partially remove the lid, and allow the potatoes to continue cooking for 10 minutes. Once your timer goes, strain the water and dump the potatoes onto your baking sheet. Press down on each one gently with a fork until it "bursts". You can't make a mistake here! Using a spoon, drizzle a little avocado oil onto each one, season with a pinch of salt and bake for 20 minutes. Turn them, and bake for another 10-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your fries. DONE!
I hope you give these a try. They pair perfectly with roasted meats, eggs of all kinds, big salads, burgers (comment below and I will send you the recipe for my famous Lamb Burgers....soooo goood) or anything else you might normally enjoy French fries with!
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