A Drizzle Of Truffle Oil Will Take Your Oven-Baked Fries Up A Notch

Oven-baked fries can turn out just as delicious as ones that are deep fried — no greasy mess required. You might even be more accustomed to baking homemade or frozen fries in the oven, especially if your kitchen isn't equipped with a deep fryer. To get the crispiest and most flavorful baked fries, you might toss them in a drizzle of oil, add cornstarch, or finish them with a sprinkle of seasoning salt. Those are all delicious ways to spruce up baked fries, but a drizzle of truffle oil will elevate the oven-baked fries further, and you won't have to step into a bougie bar or restaurant to order them.

This upgrade works with homemade fries, but you can also use frozen fries because they tend to be better than fresh ones and save you time in the kitchen. If you go with the frozen variety, use your favorite type, from shoestring to waffle fries. In fact, I used this ingredient hack with white truffle oil and frozen sweet potato fries topped with parmesan cheese recently — it was easy, delicious, and cheaper than ordering them out. Do you prefer sweet potato fries too? Try this trick with Tasting Table's oven-baked sweet potato fries recipe.

If you aren't familiar with truffle oil, there are black and white truffle oils on the market. Black truffles are slightly more common, whereas the coveted white variety is rare, but both offer earthy flavors and a dose of umami. Some consider black truffles to have a milder taste but, when it comes to oils, either variety works because the flavor profiles aren't incredibly different. Depending on the brand, there's a chance there aren't any real truffles in your bottle of oil, but brands like Truff use the real fungi. Truffle products typically pack a pungent kick, so you only need a drizzle to boost the flavor of your fries, or about 3 tablespoons for 6 servings of fries. Truffle oils are mostly finishing oil, so wait until the fries come out crispy from the oven, then slowly pour a drizzle over them and toss.

Don't stop with the truffle oil, because there are other easy toppings to get even more flavor. For starters, you can use shredded parmesan cheese like with the aforementioned sweet potato fries, just like restaurants that sling truffle parmesan fries. Add a sprinkle of coarse salt, freshly chopped herbs like parsley or rosemary, a dash of hot sauce for heat, or garlic and onion powders for more umami. And, don't forget to serve these elevated baked fries with ketchup, mayonnaise, or underrated dipping sauces like hollandaise or tzatziki.