Potatoes, Chicago, Wisconsin, oh my!

Peeps, I have not been this excited about a recipe in a long time. I have a history of sucking the big one when it comes to potatoes. Why, I have no idea. Mashed potatoes elude me. Baked, ditto. I'm all about the frozen section when it comes to this fab side dish. Not anymore. Thanks to Lottie + Doof, via Cook's Magazine, I made these yesterday (although, due to my tiny half-oven in my tiny airplane-sized kitchen, I had to make them three times due to size limitations on the cookie sheet. And they STILL turned out great!) for Easter dinner and they were the smash of the party. For that occasion, I tossed some leftover 4 cheese blend on the top, but in the future, plain and simple will do the trick.

Catching you up on a few photos now. Chicago and Kenosha in wintertime. The sign is from a restaurant in Chicago called Kuma's Corner, recommended by my OTHER reader, my bro. Great place, if you're ever in Chi-town. I love Kenosha winter skies. I'll have more Chicago photos tomorrow. Oh yeah, here's the recipe:

Garlicky Oven Fries (adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated Recipe) from Lottie + Doof:


6 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 475° F. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl and microwave until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to a rimmed baking sheet, tilting the sheet to coat.

Add the potatoes to the bowl with the remaining oil mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.

Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve.