How to Freeze and Bake Homegrown French Fries

November 14, 2024 - By thegardenspotblog

Garden to table meals are a staple around our house all summer and fall long. We end up with an abundance that we often can’t eat all of. I love preserving and saving food anyway I can so that we can enjoy it year round (even when buried in feet of snow!). And that goes for homegrown, homemade French fries too!

Before my celiac diagnosis over 12 years ago, I didn’t realize that French fries could be problematic for gluten-free diets due to frozen varieties often containing gluten, shared fryers at restaurants, or added breading and spices. However, when I grow my own potatoes and make homemade French fries, I can enjoy them without worrying about gluten contamination or preservatives.

When making french fries, the best potato choice is a russet potato, although all-purpose varieties will work too. For mine, I used a favorite, Yukon gold, which are known for their buttery flavor and wonderful creaminess, and they turned out perfectly, offering a satisfying crunch on the outside and a fluffy interior.

Now, lets get on to making Homemade (frozen) French Fries!

A step you absolutely DO NOT want to skip is blanching the potatoes before from freezing! This helps them from turning a grayish color when frozen and also reduces moisture content, which in turn, gives you a wonderfully crispy fry!

To Prep: Scrub the potatoes (I don’t peel mine), then cut them lengthwise into sticks about ½ inch thick (mine are probably a little skinnier than that). This size works best for oven-baked fries that are pillowy inside and crisp on the outside.

Blanch: blanch fries for 3 minutes in boiling water. Move immediately to an ice bath and chill for 3 minutes. Drain as much water from the fries as possible, then transfer to a towel-lined pan to dry.

Freeze: Fries pack best in freezer bags. No need to flash freeze fries.(they thaw before baking) I packed mine into quart size bags. It’s the perfect size for my family and fills up one large cookie sheet.

Bake: THAW fries before baking; I just stick mine on my counter for a bit and then move to my fridge. When ready to bake, if they are still a little icy, it’s ok! As long as they can be separated.

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper… spread or spray a thin layer of olive oil on the baking pan. Spread the fries on the pan in a single layer, and use a paper towel to pat dry. Drizzle more olive oil over the fries (a couple of Tablespoons for a quart bag of fries, just eyeball it) and gently toss them to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt, then bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

I topped mine with chopped rosemary. Because rosemary doesn’t winter over where I live, I harvest several sprigs and put whole sprigs into a large freeze ziplock bag. It freezes phenomenally. Anytime I want to use rosemary and just break off what I need.

If you made fresh herb salts with me this year, that would also be another yummy seasoning!

Another good blend is rosemary, garlic and Parmesan when they come out of the oven! Yum! We also love a good curry fry with chipped cilantro.