Cottage Fries

While they don’t get the same love as French fries, home fries, or steak fries, cottage fries more than hold their own against their potato side dish fraternity bothers. And, unlike their French cousins, these easy cottage fries actually crisp up quite nicely in the oven, and resemble fat, succulent potato chips. They’re called cottage fries because they supposedly look like the shingled roofs on those cute little houses you see in the movies and on travel brochures.

4 baking russet potatoes, sliced into 3/8" thick rounds
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch herbes de provence
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
Combine potatoes, salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and herbes de provence in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and stir to evenly coat.

Place potatoes on baking sheet, spaced evenly, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, flip over each potato slice, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Continue cooking and flipping until potatoes are well browned, about 30 minutes. Potatoes should be crispy around edges, but still soft in the center.

Cook's Notes:

• Yukon gold potatoes also work fine, but I do prefer the slightly starchier russet. I would avoid any of the red varieties, as they have a much waxier texture, and don’t get as crusty as other types.
• I also used a silicon mat to cook mine on, but you’ll get even crispier edges if you use foil, or put the sliced potato directly on a non-stick baking sheet.
• I love Herbes de Provence in this, but literally any fresh or dried herb will works fine. Keep in mind, these chips are great just seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.