Low-Fat Shoestring French Fries

Alright, so this isn't really health food, is it? French fries? Well it can be if you make it low-fat! During my healthy eating (.... and weight-loss) journey I quickly realized that french fries are high in calories and fat. For years I avoided ordering fries as my side opting instead for the soup or salad. No biggie, I love soup and salad anyway, but lately I have been craving a hot serving of fresh french fries. And I'm not talking about the pre-cooked frozen potatoes in a bag from the grocery store that you bake in the oven kind. I'm talking about fresh-cut real potatoes cooked up crispy and hot. Now, because I have two growing boys who love French fries and a husband who is also a fan, I figured it would be worth the investment to get something to make fries at home. There are tons of new household deep fryers on the market but after a little reading I decided that I really didn't want to deal with the oily mess and that the food produced wasn't really low-fat. So then I took a closer look at the T-fal Actifry (and no, this isn't a product review except to tell you that I'm loving it!). The Actifry isn't truly a fryer, it's really more of a super hot air cooker that will cook food and crisp up the outside of most food you put in the machine. This is brilliant for a healthy lifestyle because with only a tablespoon of oil the paddle inside the machine will evenly distribute the oil over the potatoes and deliver a great alternative to fast food and restaurant fries. You don't even have to touch them until they're done. It's been a winner in our home! And at only 257 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving it's a win-win in my books!

INGREDIENTS

- 4 cups of julienned potatoes (approx 1 kg)
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- ketchup or any sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice potatoes as evenly into julienne as you can, this will help the potatoes cook at the same rate
2. Rinse potatoes under cold water to remove any residue and extra potato starch
3. Dry the potatoes as best as you can on a clean tea towel, this will help the oil stick to the potatoes for optimum crisp cooking
4. Put potatoes and vegetable oil into the Actifry and cook as per the directions (approximately 25-30 minutes)
5. Serve with ketchup or other dipping sauce of your choice!

Serves 4 cups

​*tip: don't peel the skin off your potatoes, there's a ton of nutrition and fibre there!

Alternatively if you don't have an Actifry you can toss the dried julienned potatoes with vegetable oil in a bowl to coat and cook on a foil-lined baking sheet the oven until cooked and crisp. Pre-heat oven to 425F and cook 20 minutes, flip fries and continue to cook for 20 more minutes.

​Have a great day and Love Good Food! ❤️

You can see that these homemade fries are a healthier alternative to restaurant and fast-food French fries!