Recipe: Spiced Oven Fries with Garlic Spread
Fries don’t really come to mind when you think about eating healthy, but these are baked in the oven and served with a light yet creamy garlic dip. Plus, they’re loaded with big flavor from a spice that’s having a moment right now.
I recently tried a similar dish at a Lebanese restaurant in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. I was eying a fava bean appetizer, but when I ordered it, the wise server glanced at my dining companion, not a big fan of legumes, and quickly said, “You should get the fries. They’re really good.”
And so it was decided.
Turned out, she was right – they were really good. Dusted with lemony sumac, a spice that features widely in the Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine that seems to be everywhere right now, and served with a garlic mousse, they disappeared very quickly. When our server returned, I had to ask about the dip – it was obviously packed with garlic, but what gave it the slightly creamy texture? “Potatoes,” she replied. Genius!
I’ve thickened soups with pureed vegetables before, but I hadn’t thought of doing it with a dip. It’s a great trick through – and a great way to cut out some of the fat when snacking.
Tester’s Notes
This recipe was a delicious reminder that oven fries do not make their way into my life nearly enough. I vow to change that immediately.
When it comes to fries, whether they’re baked, or well, fried, ketchup has always been my immediate go to. I love it. Lots of it. I’d never considered swapping out it before now, nor did I think anything else would match up to it. I clearly underestimated the power of garlic spread.
I often find raw garlic to be a bit overpowering. Roasted garlic, on the other hand, is a different story. I could spoon it straight into my mouth. It’s smooth, rich, and feels just a little bit luxurious. And, I thought it could be just the thing to make the garlic spread that much better. It did.
– Kelli, February 2015
Sumac-Dusted Oven Fries with Garlic Spread
Serves 2 to 3
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 4
medium-sized russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil
Salt
- 1 head
garlic
- 2 tablespoons
sumac
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel potatoes. Cut one potato in half and set aside one of the halves. Slice the remaining potatoes into 1/2-inch strips. Toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Roughly chop the reserved potato in half. Cook in salted boiling water until soft. Drain and roughly mash with a fork.
Meanwhile, make a paste with the head of garlic. Follow Emma's instructions here. Place garlic into a food processor or blender and add 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes and 2 tablespoons of water. Add a little more potato or water as necessary. You want the spread to come together, but it won't be super creamy.
When the fries are done, remove from oven and toss with sumac. Serve with spread on the side.
Recipe Notes
You could skip the garlic paste process and toss the whole cloves into the blender or food processor with some salt. But this was the process I used (with a hand blender), with good results.
To give credit where due, the recipe was inspired by a dish from Semiramis in Chicago.
Updated from a post originally published January 2009.