Greek - Inspired Oven Fries

Greek - Inspired Oven Fries

I find that many Americans are quite shocked to discover that French Fries are a staple of the diet of modern Greeks - but they are! Cyprus potatoes are uniquely delicious -like no other potato in the world- so it's not surprising that people would choose to eat them often. In addition to their use in French Fries, Potatoes are sometimes cut in large wedges and roasted in a generous layer of olive oil and seasonings for hours - producing an amazing and delicious, but high fat, specialty.

These are my Americanized way of making potatoes in the oven - with some of the seasonings found in Greek cooking, but with much less oil. I find that Yukon Gold Potatoes give the best result in this recipe. If you cannot find those, red potatoes do acceptably well.

I have provided two cooking temperatures & times here, so you can make them with other roasted dishes that have specific temperatures.

Greek - Inspired Oven Fries
Wash Yukon Gold potatoes and cut them in medium-sized fry shapes *

make dressing:

2-3 tsp olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1-2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
black pepper

toss to coat
pour into rimmed non-stick foil lined cookie sheet or rimmed nonstick cookie sheet, and spread out
(The natural sugars in these potatoes will carmelize a bit during roasting, making them inclined to stick to the pan or foil a bit)
roast until they begin to brown:
450 degrees, 40 minutes, turning once in the middle
or 350 degrees 1 hour, turning once in the middle
(broil at end for more browning, if desired)

*Edited to Add: I tried making these with Russet Potatoes, and the results were excellent! They were golden brown, nice and crispy, and had a great flavour! Since at our grocery, Russets are nearly always substantially cheaper- it's good to know : )