purple french fries

[...and, we're back. At least for now. The dinosaur computer is still a bit broken, so I'm limited to posting my creations from the last few days. Hopefully the dinosaur will be fixed before I run out of material.]

I think I've finally figured out the secret to good baked fries. They're baked in oil, mind you, so they're not healthy, but they're bound to be better for you than deep fried ones, right?

OK. So you start with potatoes, obviously.

These don't say organic on the tag, but they should. Hubs picked them up, and he doesn't pay attention to those things like I do. I used to be one of those organic shmorganic people, until I read that potato farmers don't even eat the pesticide-ridden potatoes they grow. They grow their own patch organically and eat only those. If the farmers won't eat them, why should I feed them to my family? So potatoes were my first organic produce switch, and after watching Food, Inc., I'm buying organic more and more.

Right, back to the fries. OK, so scrub the potatoes and slice 'em up into french fry size. To make it fun, I'm using red, yellow, and purple potatoes. Purple french fries are FUN!

Now, here's the secret: blanch them. Throw the sliced potatoes into a pot of boiling water for 4 or 5 minutes. Keep it boiling while they're in there. (See, the secret is that the water cooks the insides, and the oven crisps the outsides. Yeah, baby.)

After 4 or 5 minutes in the boiling water, scoop the potatoes out onto paper towels. I use a slotted spoon. Let them sit here for a few minutes so the paper towels can soak up all that water. Meanwhile, start preheating your oven to 400°. Now go check Facebook or something.

When your oven is preheated, place the dry potatoes onto a rimmed cookie sheet (or something similar). Drizzle with olive oil--it doesn't take much--and toss until the potatoes are evenly covered and glistening.

Bake for 10 minutes. (More Facebook, or do a puzzle with the kids. Or maybe an instructional blog post, like I'm doing.)

After 10 minutes, give the potatoes a stir. Bake for another 5-15 minutes, or until done to your liking. I like 'em brown and crispy.

Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Let cool a bit, then serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I like mayo, ketchup, or tartar sauce. 

What sauce do you like with your purple french fries?