Steak Fries
These Garlic Herb Steak Fries are simple to prepare using a few seasonings from the pantry, and are versatile enough to pair well with many different recipes. They have a wonderful heft and bite to them, with crispy edges and a fluffy interior. And they bake up in 30 minutes!
There are things that you always pick up when you’re at the store. Maybe you always pick up a carton of milk, some eggs, fruits, or bread. Well, one of the items I always get is potatoes, because you can do a bazillion things with potatoes.
I mean, forget about incorporating other ingredients for a second. Even just by cutting a potato in different ways, you get totally different experiences. There are so many types of fries…shoestring fries, matchstick fries, crinkle fries, steak fries, and they don’t vary at all in ingredients…they vary just by the way they are cut!
Today’s cut is all about the steak fry. It’s got a “thick and meaty” bite to it, with crisp edges and a satisfyingly fluffy middle. Sometimes I like those dainty little shoestring fries or the standard width in my Homemade French Fries post, but then other times I want a hefty bite of potato. With a classic Homemade Burger on the side. And a shake. Or a big dollop of Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce. Whoops. Getting carried away…
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top tips for making the best steak fries at home.
Take time to cut evenly – It doesn’t take long to slice up the potatoes, but I do recommend you don’t rush through it so much that the pieces are uneven. If you have some extra thick pieces and some thin, then you’ll wind up with some undercooked and some overcooked steak fries. Try to make the pieces uniform.
Don’t overcrowd the pan – Use more than one baking sheet if you want to make a large batch. If the potatoes are piled up on top of each other, they won’t brown as well.
Flip once during baking – I recommend flipping the steak fries over partway into baking. It’s an extra step, but it helps tremendously with even browning.
What kind of potato to use:
I recommend using starchy russet potatoes for steak fries, instead of the waxy red potatoes or yukon gold. Russets have a more fluffy texture that gives you a crisp edge and fluffy potato interior. However, if you really prefer to use red potatoes or yukon gold potatoes, those still taste good roasted, it will just have a different texture.
I recommend you purchase large potatoes, but any size will work so long as the slices are uniform.
Should you peel the potatoes?
Personally, I love leaving the skin on for steak fries because I enjoy the texture, and you’ll see that’s what I did below. I like to scrub the skins just to make sure they’re really clean. However, feel free to peel the skin off entirely if you prefer.
Step by Step Overview:
To start, let’s mix together our steak fries seasoning. I grab all of these ingredients from the pantry, and use a simple mix of garlic powder, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper:
You can also try other spice mixes like Cajun Seasoning or Sazon Seasoning for your seasoned steak fries. Those are two of my favorite seasoning blends of all time.
Next, prepare the potatoes.
How to Cut the Potatoes:
In order to cut potatoes into the wedge shape we need, I like to cut each whole potato in half, then cut those pieces in half to get quarters, then cut those quarters in half, then cut those pieces in half, for a total of 16 pieces per potato.
You can see the progression below from left to right on my cutting board:
For a standard russet potato, I find that the 16 piece cut has the perfect thickness to it. If you have smaller russet potatoes that come in those bulk bags, you may want to cut less, so you ensure you have thick wedges of potatoes that aren’t too thin.
While I do rinse and soak the cut potatoes in cold water for classic french fries, I have found it to be unnecessary here. The potatoes cook for long enough in the oven that you can get that crispy perfection and fluffy middle without the extra step. I find it better to avoid getting the potatoes went and needing to dry them with paper towels.
Once the potatoes are cut, place them in a large bowl. Add the seasonings and a couple tablespoons of oil:
Make sure you do not try to reduce the amount of oil here. This is the bare minimum and just enough oil to ensure the potatoes have a nice crispy outer layer. If you want thoroughly crispy fries, you may even choose to add a tablespoon or two more.
The Best Oil to Use
You may use any high heat oil here. Tallow is my new favorite because the flavor is epic, but you can also use ghee, duck fat, a light olive oil, or avocado oil. I recommend animal fats like tallow or duck fat over choices like vegetable oil, as they have much more flavor.
Toss the potatoes well so they are evenly coated in the oil and seasonings. I find my hands work best for that, rather than a spatula.
Then spread the steak fries onto a large baking sheet in a single layer:
It’s important that the pieces aren’t piled up on top of each other, so they have room to brown on the sheet pan.
Also, I do not use parchment paper here, as it’s not necessary, and I find the homemade fries brown better when in direct contact with the pan.
Bake the fries for 20 minutes on the first side, until they look golden brown on the edges:
Now flip the fries over and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until more thoroughly golden brown and crisp.
I know it’s a little bit more work, but flipping them over ensures properly crispy steak fries.
Also, note that actual cooking time may vary by a few minutes depending on how thick cut your potato wedges are. If you want the most delicious steak fries, try to catch them when they’re golden brown on the outsides but still fluffy in the middle. When they look ready, I usually taste one to make sure.
How to Serve Them
Sprinkle the steak fries with a little extra salt while they’re still hot, so the salt sticks. Then either enjoy them as is, or serve with ketchup, chipotle mayo, aioli, honey mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce. You may also try sprinkling on some parmesan cheese.
These steak fries are the perfect easy side dish for this Classic Burger Recipe, or if you’re not a beef fan, these Black Bean Burgers or Turkey Burgers.
They also work nicely with sandwiches that are substantial enough to qualify as main courses, such as a Croque Madame, Cheesesteak Sandwich, Italian Club Sandwich, or Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches.
Tips and FAQ
Store any leftover fries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Fries are never as good the second time around, but try reheating in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are warm. The microwave will make the potatoes soggy.
Technically yes, for up to 2 months, but they are definitely not as good when reheating. To reheat, add an extra 5 minutes when baking straight from frozen.
You can also toss the fries with seasonings like Cajun Seasoning or Everything Bagel Seasoning.
I don’t recommend any of this as make ahead, because it won’t turn out nearly as well. If you cut the potatoes in advance, they have to be stored in water, and they won’t crisp as well.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Steak Fries
Ingredients
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp high heat cooking fat (such as tallow, ghee, olive oil, or avocado oil)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- If you plan to eat the potato skins, scrub them with a stiff brush. If you don’t like the skin, peel it off with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the potatoes into wedges. I do 16 pieces, and first cut the potato in half, then keep cutting each piece in half until you cut each potato into 16 pieces.
- Toss the potato wedges with the seasonings and the oil, then spread them out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Make sure the potato wedges aren’t on top of each other or crowding one another, or they won’t brown.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the fries are turning golden brown on the edges.
- Flip the potatoes over, then bake for another 5-10 minutes*, until golden brown all over.
- Season with extra salt if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
This post was originally published in December 2012, and was updated with new photos and writing in May 2018.
25 Comments on “Steak Fries”
thanks for sharing the recipe. i loved it
HI Joanne
Do you have a cookbook?
Hi Nicole, I do not. I’ve thought about it quite a few times…but not sure I’ll go down that road in the future.
Totally agree Joanne, there so much you can do with potatoes and by far as you say always on my list when I go to the grocery store! The faithful and delicious potato! 🙂
Hi! I am so excited and grateful for having found your website. I have tried other recipes from other websites and for some reason they just don’t end up tasting the way they should. Your recipes are spot on, easy to make (and follow) , and so delicious (toddler and hubby-approved)!
Thank you so much for all you do!
Hi Mary, welcome! Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m glad the recipes go well for you and your family!! If you ever have questions, feel free to ask. Happy cooking!
That garlic finished these perfectly.