loaded fries | Celiac in the City

Let’s talk fries.

Gluten-free fries.

Baked, gluten-free fries.

Baked, gluten-free, real food fries.

Don’t let the load of toppings fool you, most if it is vegetables! (and that sour cream looking stuff is plain Greek yogurt)

INGREDIENTS

2 large potatoes (we used jumbo potatoes from my mama’s garden, but any large potato will do — plan on one potato for each person)

Olive oil (or oil of choice)

Salt & Pepper (and any other seasonings)

Toppings of choice: cheese, tomatoes, onions, chives, bell peppers, ground meat or chicken, Greek yogurt or sour cream, bacon or pancetta pieces, (pre-cooked) jalapeños, banana peppers, salsa, guacamole, hot sauces, bbq sauce, honey mustard, really ANYthing you can think of!

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to convect bake at 425 degrees. If you don’t have a convection setting, you can just bake them at 450 degrees.

Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up, or use a stone baking sheet — it may take two baking sheets depending on how big your potatoes are. You want them spread out with room to “breathe.”

Fill a large bowl halfway full of cold water, set near your cutting board.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into long strips. Try to make them all similar in size to help with even cook time.

As you cut the potatoes, drop them into the bowl of cold water. (add more water if needed)

Drain water from potatoes and dry using a thin towel or paper towel.

Return dried potatoes to the large bowl and coat with olive oil, salt & pepper, and any other seasoning you might like — we’ve added garlic powder and also Penzey’s Northwoods seasoning. Stir to coat all the fries evenly.

Spread potatoes out on baking sheet(s) and bake 30-45 minutes — timing will vary depending on the size and thickness of your potatoes and how crispy you’d like them. Turn fries halfway through.

While fries are baking, prep your toppings and make a “loaded baked fries bar” by putting them all in small bowls.

When fries are nearly done, you can add shredded cheese and return to oven for melty cheese, or you can also add it right when you remove from the oven and it will melt on its own — this works great for your dairy-free friends.

Top fries with your choice of goods and enJOY!

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

Pumpkin Streusel Cream Cheese Muffins? You had me at pumpkin.

This harvest trail mix sounds pretty perfect — you could add in and tweak to make it your own.

It’s Day 44 of 50 Days of Real Food, the adventure in real food eating I started in September and will carry me into November — I’ll do a wrap up post eventually, but for now know that it has not been as hard as I imagined it might be. We actually end up eating real food most of the time, it’s those sugary treats that sneak in and the fact that I don’t actually require a fountain soda to do my shopping at Target.

If you want to try a little real food at your house and can’t imagine it being tasty and delicious, just check out these homemade loaded fries I made last night for mamasita to enjoy with me. 😉

(she asked if we could have them again before she leaves — everything but the local cheese, pancetta, and Greek yogurt came from one of our gardens!)

Shout out to my celiac sister who went out of her way to have real food friendly meals all weekend at her house — including this “supreme pizza bowl,” that included me in pizza night!

Anyone else buying apples like crazy? I wait for their season each year — we did a little apple taste testing with Chef Carter over the weekend — his final comment? “If you want to just leave a bunch of those black twig apples, that would be fine.”

Wish I could get this Creamy Gouda-Cheddar Gluten-Free Mac ‘n Cheese delivered. (It’s bookmarked to make in case Gigi doesn’t show up with the goods!)