How to Make Advanced Homemade French Fries

French fries... we see them in the bags at the grocery stores, we order them from McDonald's (even though they can be hit or miss), we order them from hamburger joints, we eat them wherever we can and do God-knows-what to them because they're an easy companion to the main course. They're a starch so they help fill you, and you can put anything on them. French fries, where would America be without you? We'd have to resort to... baked potatoes... gasp!

So let's take this a step further; making your own French fries. It sounds really ambitious, but to be honest, it's not at all. It's fairly easy, you just need to figure out what you want to do and commit to it. Whatever you decide you'll need the following things:

Potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold, but red russet will work as well... you can even use sweet potatoes if you want a sweeter French fry)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil (I like extra virgin the best)

That's really about it for basic French fries. If you were really pressed for ingredients you could get away with just having potatoes. So here's what you need to do:

1. Julienne the potatoes to your desired thickness. Basically make sticks out of your potato. You can leave the skin on or off; that's up to you. I actually prefer to leave the skin on. As far as the thickness, keep in mind, the

2. Get a plastic bag, or bowl, and dump the potato sticks inside it.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste along with a little olive oil so that they'll cook well in the oven.

That's how you make French fries. Now let's take it a step higher - different flavors for French fries. Are you ready for this?

Italian French Fries - you'll need rosemary, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper. Similar to the basic recipe just add all the seasonings together in the bag with the potato and let set for a few minutes.

Thai French Fries - I know you're like what? You'll need soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, and some ginger. Use minimal sesame oil as it's very potent. Literally you could get away with a few drops of the sesame oil. For everything else use your discretion, but I'd recommend equal parts garlic and ginger, about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and then add the green onion (the green parts, sliced up). For the garlic and ginger make sure it's minced or pureed before inserting. If you don't have fresh garlic or ginger, the powder works for those.

Hot French Fries - you'll need jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, and black pepper. This is not a suicide mission, but neither is it for the faint of heart. If you don't like spicy food, don't try this one. Basically slice up some jalapeno peppers (you won't bake them with the potatoes), add some hot sauce and a little black pepper to your bag and let set for a few minutes.

Teriyaki French Fries - this is similar to the Thai recipe I gave you, except you'll need to add some molasses and remove the green onions. About one to two tablespoons molasses will work well. You'll probably want to heat up the mixture before adding to the potatoes so the molasses can thin out a bit.

Greek French Fries - you'll need lemon juice, dill, parsley, or onion (or onion powder) for this variation. Add the juice of one lemon, a teaspoon of dill, a teaspoon of parsley, and dice up about two good slices of onion (or a tablespoon of onion powder). Mix all ingredients and add to the potatoes.

Mexican French Fries - you'll need cumin, black pepper, chili powder, adobo seasoning (if you can get it), cilantro, green onion. Include about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of all the powdered seasonings, and a couple of tablespoons of sliced cilantro and onions.

Sweet Potato Fries - you can either add salt and pepper to this, or go the sweeter route and add some cane sugar.

Do you see how far you can take French fries now? It's really insane. Whatever variation you decide to use, I recommend putting it in the oven on a single rack at about 375 degrees for at least a half hour. You have to give time for the potatoes to bake. Depending on amount of sticks and thickness, it may take longer. Let the potatoes have their cooking process; don't rush it by turning up the oven.

Once they're finished, either you can top with more of the seasonings you used to marinate your potatoes, or you can use regular condiments. Try and use the ones that make sense for your particular creation. Enjoy your French fries! Be sure to save me some.