Make Baked Steak Fries As Crispy As Deep Fried With One Extra Ingredient

Steak fries are large, thick potato wedges, filling enough to be a meal in itself. These roasted potato/french fry hybrids are easy to make at home but sometimes end up more floppy and soggy than desired. Sure, you can deep fry them for a foolproof method for crispy fries, but the thought of standing over hot, bubbling oil and cleaning a messy fryer — particularly the annoying task of dealing with the leftover oil — is enough to deter even the biggest steak fry fan. A cleaner, easier method for making legitimately crispy french fries at home is to bake them in the oven — just make sure to use cornstarch to get them nice and crunchy. 

This flavorless starch, a staple in most pantries, is commonly used to thicken sauces, stews, soups, puddings, glazes, and batters for frying foods like crispy fried chicken wings. For your oven-baked steak fries, the cornstarch will absorb the excess moisture in the thick cut potatoes and create a barrier that keeps the fries fluffy on the inside and deliciously crunchy on the outside. There are a few, super easy ways you can toss your potatoes in cornstarch before baking them for steak fries that stay crunchy even after they cool.

Incorporating cornstarch in your steak fry recipe can be as simple as coating the fries in the starch before baking them. After soaking your potatoes in cold water, drizzle some oil over the fries and toss them in cornstarch and other seasonings for taste (like salt, garlic powder, onion powder, grated parmesan, and black pepper). The oil will help the cornstarch stick to the fries and help prevent them from sticking to the baking pan. 

Another option is to make a wet cornstarch batter for your potatoes. Before baking your steak fries, combine cornstarch with water (also known as a cornstarch slurry) and heat it in the microwave for one minute. Mix it well until it forms a thick gel, add your favorite seasonings, then coat your potatoes with the mixture. Spread the fries on a baking sheet with parchment paper that's been coated with oil and bake as usual. Some prefer this method since it may coat the fries more evenly with cornstarch, ensuring they are crispy all over.

No matter which method you choose, the dry or wet cornstarch mixture, you can also easily upgrade your homemade fries by using a salad spinner. After soaking them in water (and before coating them in cornstarch), toss the fries in a salad spinner and give it a few spins to remove the remaining moisture. Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to perfectly crispy baked steak fries in no time.