Sunday Recipe- Homemade Potato Wedges/Fries (& Grilled Cheese)!

I was at a loss as to what to make for my Sunday recipe so I figured I would use a recipe I made last week.  I actually was inspired to make potato wedges (you know, like the ones you get from like 'southern' restaurants?) and since it was National Grilled Cheese day when I decided to make these, my mom and I had a great lunch that made me feel like I was a kid again!

I didn't really use any particular recipe (I did the first time I made potato wedges) but this time I just used the same method but switched up the spices based on what enjoy.  I even had some extra spice mix leftover so my mom and I made some roasted asparagus as well with the spice mixture! The meal was so big we both only had half our sandwich and only a few potato wedges and more of the asparagus.

I have a printed recipe that inspired this recipe but I had no idea where it is or where I got it from but just rest assured, I did not make this recipe up. I got the basic idea from some pin on Pintrest and then made my adjustments to my liking (but followed the recipe exactly on my first try).

Ingredients:

• 2 XL Baking Potatoes
• Canola Oil (for seasoning mix and potatoes)
• 3 FRESH Garlic Cloves (minced)
• Seasoning Mix
• ¼- ⅓ C Cornstartch (I used ½ C and that was WAY too much-- def test this out but with my experience, less is more)
• 2 tsp Hot Paprika
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Mirch (hot Indian pepper from the northernmost Indian state)
• this is hands down one of my top 5 Indian spices- gives food a beautiful red color and some extra spice but not too intense (more of a fruity spicy flavor than hot spicy)
• I buy it at the local Indian grocery but you can also buy it HERE or HERE for relatively cheap.
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Oregano/ Italian Seasoning
• 2 tsp Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper (couple grinds of the pepper mill, depending how much you like)

Method:

1. Scrub/wash potatoes (leave the skin on, it tastes so good when these are done!)
    
2. Cut potatoes in half (I did this in thick thirds since they were so large)
3. From each thick slice, cut 3-4 wedges and put all the wedges into a microwave safe dish (I used my mom's vintage blue cornflower corning ware dish from the 1980s!)
    
4. Coat the wedges with the Canola Oil and the minced garlic (don't use the bottled stuff- it's processed, old, &filled with preservatives)
    
5. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and zap in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes (this step saves you baking time if you are in a hurry, if not, then skip this step). I put mine in for about 6 minutes (way too long) since my mom and I were hungry and it didn't work out so well.
6. While the wedges are in the microwave, assemble your spice mixture. Learn from my mistake- use less cornstarch!!! I listed my own preferences for spice so adjust the amount of Kashmiri Mirch, garlic powder, etc based on your preference!
    
7. Take the potatoes out of the microwave, take off the plastic, and drain any excess oil and water from the dish (very important to drain or else your wedges will be a soggy mess, not crispy/yummy).
    
8. Liberally toss the potato wedges in the spice mixture. Be careful not to break up to potatoes too much or else it will look ugly like mine.
    
9. Spread out the wedges on a large sheet pan in an even layer.  If you are not using a non-stick cookie sheet (I used a large aluminum cookie sheet), then make sure to spray your sheet pan with spray cooking oil or use parchment paper so the wedges don't stick and for easy cleanup (I forgot this step!)
    
10. Bake the wedges on 400degrees F for about 12 minutes. If you skipped step 5, then you will likely need to add 6-10 minutes depending on how big your wedges are cut.
11. Flip the wedges half way through so they can get crispy on all sides.  Make sure that the end pieces are skin up on one rotation to get that delicious crispy outer layer! (Those are my favorite ones!)
     
12. Remove from oven, add to plate, and ENJOY!
    (my mom's plate- she used pepper jack for her grilled cheese)
    (my plate! fuzzy but I had a cheddar grilled cheese with the potato wedges and roasted asparagus)

Thoughts:

• I would definitely use less cornstarch next time than I did on this attempt.  The purpose of the cornstarch is to create a nice skin/layer surrounding the flesh of the potato and make it more crispy.
• I would be much more liberal with the salt in the seasoning mix (I love salty food) because I had to add it on the end and I don't like eating "raw salt" on my food.
• If you use the microwave method, definitely put it in for no more than 4 minutes or else the wedges will become mush!
• Try something a little lighter than the grilled cheese to accompany the wedges so you can actually enjoy them! I ate all my asparagus and wedges and could barely eat half my sandwich!

 

Hope you try this at home! What's your favorite vegetable? Do you love potatoes as much as I do??