It has literally only been in the last few years that I’ve realized I can have ‘healthy’ fries, and, adding to that, only in the last couple of months that I’ve found fries could be made with nearly NO oil.
Like most teens, I (over)indulged in our dastardly American fare, more commonly known as fast food.
Come lunchtime in high school, we’d all pile into someone’s truck bed and head over to a nearby Wendy’s, McDonald’s, or the like and proceed to stuff our faces with greasy burgers and fries.
Though never overweight in my late teens, I suffered from chronic skin problems, which I’m sure were exacerbated by this way of eating.
They should have a class in high school on how to care for your skin. I think it would have greatly influenced my eating habits and overall health to have someone explain to me all that I’ve had to learn on my own.
I’ve been through the ringer with my skin, suffering with everything from eczema to cystic acne, and all the little problems in between. It seems my skin is my weak organ…highly unfortunate when you’re a young girl, as it contributed to years of low self-esteem for me.
I’ve tried about every product and supplement and expensive treatment known to man and probably should have found my way to aesthetician school at some point, but I’m happy to just be as self-educated as I am (and I’m certain there is plenty I still don’t know).
Food has been crucial in my life to obtaining good skin, and maybe not in the way you’d think.
Yes, it’s important to eat healthy, drink water, blah, blah, blah, all the typical ‘advice’ that everyone repeats like parrots, but, if you suffer from allergies, eating the healthiest food in the world won’t help you if you’re allergic to it.
For instance, I’m mildly allergic to sweet potatoes.
I can eat a small amount of them at certain times, but I know from experience that they mess up my digestion and make me a bit itchy.
They’re such a staple right now in the healthy eating world, and they are a truly healthy food, boasting large amounts of beta carotene, something that’s actually good for the skin. For me, however, they can cause nearly the opposite effect.
Ironically, the white-fleshed stepchild of the potato world is what agrees with me best!
Red, russet, Yukon…all are my pals.
This recipe came about out of a desire for fries, as well as an urge to try baking them without oil, a phenomenon I came across on Instagram one day.
I always thought what made baked fries so crispy was the oil, but alas, this is not the case.
I’ve tried many recipes for fries, some requiring parboiling or soaking the cut potatoes in cold water, but this one is by far my favorite of them all (and it’s the simplest!).
I make this a single serve snack by just cutting up one russet or 2-3 red potatoes, and I serve the fries up with a quick and healthy ketchup.
It also makes a great snack for my girls, who both began requesting the recipe after seeing me eat it so often!
Single serving of ketchup and fries...the perfect salty snack for one!
- FRIES:
- 1 russet potato (or 2-3 red potatoes)
- oil spray
- salt
- pepper
- other spices or herbs you enjoy
- KETCHUP:
- 1/4 c . tomato puree (I like the Pomi brand)
- 1 T . apple cider vinegar
- 1 t . molasses
- 1/8 t . onion powder
- 1/16 t . garlic powder
- 1/4 t . sea salt
- dash cloves
- dash cayenne
- FRIES:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Rinse, dry, and cut your potato(es) into wedges.
- Spread a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
- Spray the parchment paper with oil to prevent potatoes from sticking.
- Place the potato wedges onto the oiled paper.
- Sprinkle wedges with salt, pepper, and whatever spices you like.
- Spread the wedges out.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Flip the fries over.
- Bake another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove and enjoy with ketchup!
- KETCHUP:
- Mix everything together and place in the fridge until your fries are done.
Nutrition facts based on using one russet potato. No oil is included as it is fairly negligible. WW SmartPoints: 5
Notes:
Add in your choice of spices or herbs as desired. I like to sprinkle on sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, and at the time of flipping, I add a tablespoon or so of fresh rosemary.
Mix your ketchup during the first 20 minutes of baking so that the flavors have a bit of time to ‘marry’.
For my ketchup, I like to use Pomi strained tomatoes, but any tomato puree (puree is thicker than tomato sauce) should work.
The ketchup is just enough to cover the entire batch of fries, but if I have a bit leftover, I’ll just store it in the fridge for next time.
There you have it, your own batch of ketchup and fries, all for around 150 calories!
What’s your favorite salty snack?
Mary says
This is sooo good! Love your recipes!
April J Harris (@apriljharris) says
What a great way to enjoy a treat in a much healthier way, Lauren! Love your homemade ketchup as well. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop. Hope to see you again this week!
Bethany says
Looks so good!
swathi says
That is crispy delicious fries love to try, you can share the entire bowl to me. I will finish it, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting.
rockmyvegansocks says
Your skin looks so gorgeous and vibrant – I can’t imagine you having issues with it. It must have been tough as a teenager :/
A milk allergy to sweet potatoes? That would make me sad, BUT there are a ton of great potato varieties out there and this recipe sounds super delicious! I love the homemade ketchup =)
Lauren says
Thanks girl!
Kimmythevegan says
ps. Thanks so much for sharing at Healthy Vegan Fridays – I’m pinning this =)
Courtney's Cookbook says
Oh, this looks perfect! What a great idea! 🙂
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
I AM ADDICTED and so very in love with ketchup!!! 😀
fitfoodiemama says
Yes, please! This looks delicious and I love me some russet potatoes!! <3
Mindy says
Thanks for sharing your experiences with food and the effect it has on your skin. I am certain that my skin issues are connected to food as well. I get horrible flare ups, and then every once in awhile my skin will clear up almost over night and be fine for a day or two. I definitely get itchy as well, but not always. How did you sort out what foods caused you to react? How long after eating something did you have a reaction? I’ve tried eliminating so many things and just can’t seem to sort it out. Although I do notice that 80% of the time I travel somewhere, my skin takes a turn for the better…
Lauren says
Hi Mindy,
I had to go through years of elimination diets, but the biggest thing that helped me was having an allergy test. I looked at IgG, IgE, and IgA antibodies, in particular, which showed both immediate and delayed reactions. It was expensive, but so worth it for me!
Mindy says
Interesting! I have celiac disease and although I follow a strict gf diet (no gluten in my household–even my cats are gf!), I’ve had a heck of a time getting my antibodies level down. After 2 1/2 years, they’ve certainly dropped but are still well above normal. My GI dr was insistent that I was still consuming “hidden” gluten and I was just as insistent I wasn’t. He finally ordered another endoscopy and discovered my intestine was almost 100% healed. Also ordered a bone density scan to prove how closely linked osteoporosis is to celiac disease—and the scan came back showing no bone issues at all. Happy about the results of both tests, but frustrated over antibody levels and skin stuff–and concerned that damage is occurring elsewhere that I am not yet aware of. Will keep on trying to sort it out! I did pay to get a “cross reactive” test done, but question the validity of the whole concept based on the research I’ve done. Test results came back showing that I reacted to almost every food on the list. 🙁
Lauren says
Speaking from some personal experience with the cross reactivity stuff, keep an open mind! My oldest daughter suffers from worse food allergies in the spring when certain pollens come out, so I do think there’s something to it! With my own allergies, I kind of view the whole thing as a compounding issue. I start with a glass that fills up with environmental allergies, chemical-based allergies, food allergies, and so on. If I encounter say the smell of formaldehyde in a clothes store, I will have more of a tendency to react to foods that may not bother me on another day. Does that make sense? Just thought that might help you determine something in your own situation. I hope you get things sorted out, allergies are so frustrating!
Rachel says
Yum these look awesome. My kids love potatoes (and fries but we rarely have them). I need to make these! Thanks for linking up.
Miss Whisk (@Miss_Whisk) says
We love our fries and one out of 4 of us loves ketchup (my oldest) and the rest of us eat it on occasion. I’m definitely going to have to try this out! I’ve been watching the brands we buy and trying to find a no sugar, healthy one she loves. There are some she likes but no real favs yet.
Thank you for linking up with us for Meatless Monday!
Strength and Sunshine says
That is really sad you’re allergic to sweets :O All types???? Japanese sweets are my LIFE!
Lauren says
I haven’t tried those, are they orange? I have trouble with a lot of orange foods, lol.
Shirl Lundstrom says
Love your simple homemade ketchup recipe! Thanks. I frequently make rutabaga fries and turnip fries just like you make your potato fries. Now I will have some guilt free dipping sauce!
Lauren says
Thanks Shirl, I hope you like it! I’ll have to try some rutabaga and turnip fries too!