What is it about smothered french fries that can send even the most well-intentioned, disciplined dieters into a struggle of willpower? Oh, right... crisp, seasoned french fries topped with tangy, creamy fry sauce are irresistible. If you make your own french fries at home, bake them, and top the fries with a Whole30 approved, keto- and paleo-friendly sauce without added sugar or canola oil, fries with special sauce can be an occasional indulgence that can make real-food eating easier and more pleasurable. 

Our easy-to-make steak fries use thickly-sliced wedges of Russet potatoes doused in avocado oil and seasoned generously with salt and pepper. Soften then crisp in the oven to your desired doneness (bake for longer if you prefer well-done, more crunchy fries), add some caramelized diced onions, and pour on Primal Kitchen Special Sauce. You'll have an impressive plate of comfort food to eat with members of your household, or, if you live alone, you won't have to share!

3 Tips for Making Crispy Oven-Baked French Fries

Short of deep frying or using an AirFryer to get super crisp, well-done french fries, it can be hard to get a slightly crackly exterior when oven baking fries if you simply slice the potatoes and bake them on a baking sheet. The following two tips can help prevent soggy french fries and make extra-crisp bits that taste like potato chips:

1. Soak or rinse the sliced potatoes, and parboil them. Soaking or rinsing the sliced french fries helps wash away the surface sugars on the potatoes. A quick boil in salted water can help ensure the fries cook all the way through when they're crisping in the oven. We're baking the fries at high heat, so if you cut your fries a little thickly or uneven (some sticks bigger than others), the smaller pieces could burn before the bigger pieces are cooked all the way.
2. Preheat the oven and heat up the baking sheet before baking the fries. Heating the oven and baking sheet thoroughly before putting the fries on the baking sheet and in the oven hits the potatoes with even heat that will help the fries crisp evenly.

Steak Fries with Special Sauce

Time: about 55 minutes

Servings: 6 

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion, finely diced
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 small organic Russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
• 1 jar Primal Kitchen Special Sauce
• 1/4 cup pickle, diced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425ºF. 
• Wash potatoes well and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch wedges and place in a large bowl.
• Fill the bowl with the potato wedges in cold water, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Drain the potato wedges.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add two generous pinches of salt to the water.
• Slide the potato wedges into the boiling water, and allow to cook for 4–5 minutes. 
• Remove the potato wedges from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Turn the pot off and discard the water. Allow the potato wedges to drain on clean kitchen towels. Gently blot off any excess moisture on the potato wedges.
• While the potato wedges are drying, place an unlined, dry baking sheet in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
• Place the dried potato wedges in a large bowl. Douse potato wedges with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Spread seasoned steak fries out on the hot baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven. Using a spatula, flip the steak fries over, scraping any bits off of the baking sheet.
• Put baking sheet back in the oven for another 15 minutes, removing from oven again to toss and scrape. 
• Continue baking steak fries in the oven in 5-minute increments until cooked through and crisp to your liking. You can add some additional salt to the steak fries when they come out of the oven if you want some extra seasoning.
• Meanwhile, while the steak fries bake, make the caramelized onions. In a skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil. 
• Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions brown (be careful that they don't burn; the color should be a light brown or caramel color). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Pour Primal Kitchen Special Sauce (the entire jar) into a small bowl. Add diced pickles, and stir sauce.
• Plate the steak fries, adding all (or a very generous helping) of the Special Sauce with pickles. Scatter the diced caramelized onion on top of the fries.
• Share with the people in your household (best to share, as you could eat the whole plate before you can stop yourself!).

Nutrition Info (per serving; 6 servings total):

Calories: 307

Total Carbs: 28 grams

Net Carbs: 23 grams

Fat: 20 grams

Protein: 3 grams

You might also like these other tempting comfort foods:

• Double Fried French Fries
• Easy Tailgating Recipes
• How to Make the Best Burgers & Burger Recipes
• Chicken Nuggets with Ketchup and Sweet Potato Fries
• Keto Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Garlic Aioli Primal Pizza 
• Pesto Keto Cauliflower Pizza
• Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs with AirFryer French Fries
• Cilantro Lime Fish Tacos