Baked truffle fries

Dudes. I gotta learn to stop posting before lunch. Especially when posting means looking at drool worthy french fry photos while trying to concentrate on typing and not licking my screen or jetting to the nearest place I can for a fry or twenty. Sidenote: I would hate myself for that. I just finished Day 4 of the Tuff Butt challenge and I do believe this is going to be more challenging than originally anticipated. With two hot yoga power sculpt classes and two intense Kosama classes under my belt this week, these little daily heartrate boosters I've been doing at work are starting to really buuuuuurn. I'm going to a basketball game tonight and am truly hoping I don't topple down the steps in my wedge boots on the way to my seat. Wouldn't that be fun...

 

Anywho...back to the french fry porn. These actually aren't as bad for you as you would think, because they're not fried. Baking fries is the way to go, my calorie conscious friendies. Potatoes get a bad rap, beings carby and starchy and all, but contrary to popular belief in the last few years, taters are NOT the enemy (they've gotten an undeservedly bad rap)...even the white ones. Yes, they are a starch, but they are a good, healthy starch chuck full of good for your health vitamins and minerals and are naturally low in calories for all the bulk and fiber they provide (especially if you eat the skins)... and they fill you up to boot. Don't feel guilty eating any potato (well, maybe the fried kind); they are a healthy food! My Aunt Kris, the nurse, told me all that! So let's get this party started...

 

2 russet potatoes, sliced into fries

1-2 T olive oil

2 t Cookie's flavor enhancer

2 garlic powder

A few drops of white truffle oil

 

Throw the taters in a large plastic baggie and drizzle your oils and spices all over that shizz. Shut the bag and shake, shake, shake (pause), shake, shake, shake (pause), shake your bootay! Shake your bootay! Yeah! Coat those taters with all the love in that bag...preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on how crunchtastic you like your fries. I like a crunchy outside and soft inside....

 

 

I had never worked with Truffle oil before this, although I had experienced its flavor in dishes before. Truffle mac and cheese is to die for, and I've had truffle fries in restaurants before as well. I absolutely adore the flavor it brings to those dishes, but from reading about it, realized that it's very strong so there's no need to go overboard with the stuff. I would probably use a little more than I did this time when I make these next, but its better to be safe than over-truffled, I always say. Actually, I never say that, but you don't know that.

 

I picked this little bottle up in Galena, IL at a cute little shop (TONS of cute little cooking shops there if you ever get a chance to go) when Main Man and I went to our Murder Mystery dinner weekend a while back. We spent the chilly day walking from shop to shop holding hands and having coffee and buying fun things like truffle oil...pretty much my perfect day date, ever in the world. I was a little aghast at the price of this stuff ($13 for this teeny bottle), but like I said, you don't need much at all so this should last me a very long time.

 

Main Man was pretty pumped about these fries. They were the talk of the town (errr, maybe just our house) that night. And if you want to try this recipe with the purple potatoes we learned about a while ago! Don't worry, I plan on it :)