Chinese Five Spice Roasted Potato Fries
with creamy siracha
French fries, frites, chips, pommes, papas fritas, or finger chips otherwise known as FRIES, by us Americans can pretty much be summed up as one of the greatest creations ever. Thank you Thomas Jefferson for bringing them to our attention back in the 1800’s when you ruled the White House.
These sliced wedges of potatoes are baked to a golden crisp and include an exotic taste that will leave you either loving them or hating them to the point of never wanting to see them again. I personally, gobbled them down like the starving fiend I am over the weekend, while my boyfriend…not so much.
Chinese Five Spice is a pretty intense flavor combination made up of mainly star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Szechwan pepper, and fennel seeds that is used mainly on meat dishes in Chinese, Asian or Arabic cultures. It is a mouthful of taste that will leave your taste buds either buzzing in confusion or singing in praise. The sweet tones of the clove, cinnamon and star anise marry well with the bite of pepper and fennel seeds. The spices are even more heightened with the use of garlic and onion powder on the potatoes creating an enticing fragrance that is sure to please your nose while baking in the oven.
The depth of flavor is quite unique, especially from the unexpected slow heat factor created from the pepper. Normally, ketchup would be used as my preferred go to condiment to accompany my fries, but with these batons of golden deliciousness, I chose to use the creamy siracha I keep in the refrigerator. I will definitely be making these suckers again, but maybe try to incorporate them with a meat dish to balance out the flavor. I think they had a little to much gusto for my boyfriend (clove is not his best friend), but were perfect for me.
Ingredients:
- 4 Medium Potatoes, sliced
- 1/2 Tbsp. Chinese Five Spice
- 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400°. In a bowl combine all the ingredients along with the olive oil. Mix until all the potatoes are evenly coated with the spices and olive oil.
- Place the potatoes on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 30 – 45 minutes (depends on your oven and how the potatoes were sliced) or until golden and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Halfway through baking, I gave the tray a shake and flipped the potatoes to get the underside crisped as well.
- Serve warm with a side of spicy mayo or creamy siracha.