Tired of regular French fries that often get soggy reaching your doorstep? Try these fun and crispier alternatives – mashed potato fries! Whether you're serving them as a side dish, snack, or appetizer, these golden brown sticks never disappoint and are very easy to make!
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These delectable potato sticks have a crunchy layer on the outside and are tender on the inside, making them an irresistible treat for your taste buds.
Plus, it's perfect for days you have (boiled) potato leftovers!
What you'll love about this recipe
- Golden and crispy: These potato fries are deliciously cheesy, with a crispy golden outer layer ensuring a satisfying texture with each bite!
- Simple ingredients: The recipe uses basic ingredients like potatoes and cheese, making it easy to prepare with items commonly found at home.
- Customize them however you like: Make it your own. You can use different cheeses, switch up the seasoning as you like, and try out different flavors and textures.
- Get creative with shapes: You can try out various shapes every time you make it, making the cooking process more enjoyable, especially if you have kids at home.
What goes in Mashed Potato Fries
The best part of cooking this recipe is that you only need ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen.
- Potatoes: Floury/starchy potatoes such as Russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold are best for fries. They won't become soggy easily as they are dense and contain less water.
- Salt: for boiling the potatoes, ensuring the potatoes are seasoned all the way through.
- Ground black pepper: freshly ground pepper will lift the overall flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese: I prefer using fresh grated parmesan for this recipe, but any cheese that melts will work - Mozzarella, Cheddar, Swiss, Colby, or Monterey Jack are all fine. You can even try a mix of different cheeses.
- Parsley: I love fresh chopped parsley leaves here. If you don't like parsley, you can use fresh chopped cilantro, rosemary, or thyme. Dried herbs would also work just fine.
- Potato starch: you can sub with cornstarch. Starch helps bind the mashed potatoes and gives the fries an extra crispy exterior when fried.
- Oil: for frying, I used sunflower oil, but any high smoke point oil will do - canola, vegetable oil, and peanut oil are all fine
Other flavors you can add
Garlic Powder: Add a dash of garlic powder to the mashed potatoes for an extra burst of flavor.
Add some heat: Spice it up by incorporating some finely chopped green chili pepper, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or chili powder.
Chicken powder: Sprinkling chicken powder can add an extra depth of flavor to your mashed potato fries.
How to make Mashed Potato Fries
- Peel and cut the potatoes into equal-sized cubes.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and mash until no lumps are left.
- Add ground black pepper, parsley, grated cheese, and potato starch. Mix everything well.
- Divide the potato mixture into two portions and shape each into a ball of dough.
- Dust a little potato starch on the work surface or a rolling board, place each dough ball, roll it out to a ½-inch thick rectangle, and cut it into strips.
- Deep-fry the potato strips in hot oil, turning with tongs until they turn golden brown on all sides, doing it in batches for 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the fried mashed potato sticks on a wire rack over a paper towel or baking sheet.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with grated parmesan if desired.
Serving Suggestions
These versatile fries are sure to be a hit at any table, adding a touch of crispy goodness to your meals. Serve these delightful mashed potato fries as a tasty side dish, perfect for accompanying burgers, grilled chicken, or your favorite main course. They also make for a great snack during movie nights or gatherings with friends. Pair them with a variety of dipping sauces like ketchup, mayo-ketchup sauce, Popeye's blackened ranch, and the cheesy buffalo wild wing's garlic parmesan sauce.
Helpful Tips
- Don't overcook the potatoes or let them be too soft.
- Adjust the seasoning of the mashed potatoes to suit your taste preferences.
- Before forming the potato sticks, you can chill the mashed potatoes in the refrigerator for easier handling.
- Avoid cutting the fries too thin, as they may become too delicate and break when frying!
- When frying, use an oil with a high smoke point like sunflower, peanut or canola oil for optimal results.
- Ensure the oil is hot enough before you start frying.
- Fry the potato sticks in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan to prevent a drastic drop in oil temperature.
- Drain the fried mashed potato sticks on a wire rack over a paper towel or baking sheet to avoid sogginess from steam.
FAQs
Of course you can! The taste and texture might differ but your fries would still taste delicious and would also be healthier.
Here's a simple trick to bake crispy potato fries: Spray the potato sticks with light oil on both sides; it will not only give you a crispier exterior but also keep the insides soft and mealy. Bake your mashed potato french fries in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 425℉. Turn them over and repeat the process to get both sides crispier and golden brown!
Yes! Just like baked fries, air-fried mashed potato sticks would also taste delicious and crispy! Spray the sticks with cooking oil, or you can also spray the air frying basket. Ensure both sides are coated with a good amount of spray (nothing too much) before you air-fry them.
Preheat the air-fryer to 400℉, and add a single layer of fries at a time. Too many layers can result in uneven cooking and soggy fries. Air-fry for 10-15 minutes, and you have it— delicious and crispy mashed potato fries.
Yes, you can use leftover mashed potatoes to make fries. Just adjust the thickener, like potato starch or cornstarch, until you get a texture that holds its shape well. Over time, mashed potatoes can get a bit moist, so adjusting the consistency is important for successful frying.
Yes, you can store potato fries for later! I suggest consuming them within three days instead of storing them for months.
Storing your fries in a resealable bag or air-tight container in the refrigerator will keep your potato fries intact for two to three days. Try to remove as much air as possible.
After cutting the potatoes into fries, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and press the bag gently to remove excess air, or use a vacuum sealer for optimal results. Store them for up to a month in the freezer. When you're ready to fry, cook them directly from frozen, adjusting the cooking time as needed. This method helps maintain the fries' quality and prevents them from sticking together.
If you are reheating fried mashed potato fries, use an oven. Refrying them will accumulate too much unnecessary oil and may even destroy the original taste. Instead, preheat the oven to about 400℉ and bake your stored fried potato sticks for 5-10 minutes on both sides.
Bonus Recipe
Potato is quite a versatile vegetable, offering mouth-watering flavors in whichever form, shape, and recipe they come. One such delicious potato snack is my all-time breakfast favorite— Potato fritters! A simple yet flavorful treat you can enjoy at any time.
If you try the recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you and it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
Recipe
Crispy Mashed Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 500 gram / 1 lb potatoes peeled and cut into equal size cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt for boiling or as needed
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or to taste
- 4 tablespoon potato starch
- parsley leaves fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon potato starch for dusting
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into equal-sized cubes.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and mash until no lumps are left.
- Add ground black pepper, parsley, grated cheese, and potato starch. Mix everything well.
- Divide the potato mixture into two portions and shape each into a ball of dough.
- Dust a little potato starch on the work surface or a rolling board, place each dough ball, roll it out to a ½-inch thick rectangle, and cut it into strips.
- Deep-fry the potato strips in hot oil, turning with tongs until they turn golden brown on all sides, doing it in batches for 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the fried mashed potato sticks on a wire rack over a paper towel or baking sheet.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with grated parmesan if desired.
Notes
- Don't overcook the potatoes or let them be too soft.
- Adjust the seasoning of the mashed potatoes to suit your taste preferences.
- Before forming the potato sticks, you can chill the mashed potatoes in the refrigerator for easier handling.
- Avoid cutting the fries too thin, as they may become too delicate and break when frying!
- When frying, use an oil with a high smoke point like sunflower, peanut or canola oil for optimal results.
- Ensure the oil is hot enough before you start frying.
- Fry the potato sticks in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan to prevent a drastic drop in oil temperature.
- Drain the fried mashed potato sticks on a wire rack over a paper towel or baking sheet to avoid sogginess from steam.
Linda
I made these today and they are delicious!