Who doesn’t love french fries? They’re the epitome of comfort food. Carby, crispy yet chewy, salty… and they just make you feel good.

I have been working on this french fry recipe for a while. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make the perfect french fries at home. Some recipes require you to soak the potatoes, then deep fry them, and then fry them a second time… No one wants to have to go through all that work (and no one wants to have to use all that oil).

After months of trial and error I’ve come up with what I believe is a great oven french fry recipe that uses simple ingredients and lets the oven do most of the work.

The MOST IMPORTANT “tool” you need for this recipe is a cooling rack. The cooling rack is the secret. It’s how you get a soft chewy interior without over cooking and burning the outside of the fry. If you don’t have a cooling rack, don’t attempt the recipe until you get one. They’re cheap and every home cook should have at least one (CLICK HERE to order from Amazon).

The Ingredients are Simple:

• The quintessential potato – the russet potato. They’re cheap, easy to find, and they last a long time in the pantry.
• Olive Oil – I use regular olive oil NOT extra virgin. If you don’t have olive oil you can use vegetable oil or canola oil… but personally the recipe turned out best with plain olive oil.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese – yes, the kind in the plastic container with the green lid.
• Salt and Pepper – Basics of all flavoring.