Oven Baked Garlic Fries with Garlic Aioli

Photo Credit: http://pixelatedcrumb.com/

Oven Baked Garlic Fries with Garlic Aioli

Original Recipe: http://pixelatedcrumb.com/2011/05/31/oven-baked-garlic-fries-with-garlic-aioli/

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes (russet or yukon gold), washed and dried
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil (optional: swap 1 tablespoon oil for 1 tablespoon rendered duck fat)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

    Seasoning:

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

    Finishing herbs:

• 1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary

    For light aioli dip:

• 2 tablespoon light mayo
• 2 tablespoon fat free greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Directions:

1. For the aioli, combine the mayo, yogurt and 1 crushed garlic clove in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside or refrigerate until fries are ready to serve.
2. Place an oven rack at the lowest position and heat the oven to 475 degrees.
3. Heat the 3 cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon oil (or 1 tablespoon rendered duck fat) in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil with a small mesh strainer. Set both garlic and oil/duck fat aside.
4. Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries (if using a mandolin slicer, attach french fry blade and set thickness to 1/4 inch). In a large bowl, cover potato slices with hot tap water and soak for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, coat a 18 by 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with 4 tablespoon oil and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Use a heavy-duty baking sheet to prevent warping in the hot oven.
6. Drain the potatoes and then dry them by spreading them out on a triple layer of paper towels. Use additional paper towels to pat them dry. Rinse and wipe out the now-empty bowl, return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the seasonings and the 1 tablespoon oil or duck fat used to heat garlic earlier. Arrange the potatoes in single layer on the prepared baking sheet, cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes start to turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes for even browning.
7. Scrape the pan with a spatula and tongs to loosen potatoes from the pan, then turn the fries over, keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly. Transfer the fries to a second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Toss with garlic, finely chopped parsley and rosemary. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve with light aioli dip.