Village Fries (Our Favorite French Fries)

Being so close to DC is one of the best things about living in Virginia. We love the history, of course, but we also love the awesome restaurants there. One of our favorite spots is Good Stuff Eatery, run by Spike Mendelsohn (of Top Chef and Next Iron Chef fame). We always eat way too much food when we’re there, but we justify it because of all the walking we do on our DC trips. Our order usually consists of two burgers, two Blue Moon beers (because they have it on tap – yum!), plus an order of fries and a milkshake to share. The fries are unlike any fries I’ve had before, which was why we were so excited to see the recipe in Spike’s cookbook. They’re herby and delicious, and I’m so glad we can recreate them at home.

We often make baked fries when we have burgers at home. However, since the black bean burgers we make are healthy, I feel like it’s okay to splurge on the fries. That makes sense, right? 😉  This recipe is different in that Spike uses Red Bliss potatoes. Most fry recipes I’ve seen call for Russets or some other type of starchy potato, but I like this version because the skin can be left on the potatoes, making them tastier and easier to prep. We’ve made these several times and have often just used regular red potatoes. This time, we used a blend of small red, yellow and purple potatoes. Like any good fry recipe, these require a double fry in the oil. This leaves the fries with a slightly crispy exterior and a wonderfully soft and potato-y interior. The herb mixture elevates these to almost gourmet status. If you’re looking for a fry recipe to indulge in occasionally, this is it.