The Lean Veggie - Easy oven fries

If you are craving for some good ol fashioned fries, but afraid of the calories and the time and effort, this is a really cool recipe. I used a massive russet potato, but you can substitute with a few smaller potatoes. Make sure the dhaniya jeera powder is super fresh. This recipe will go great with rotis and dhal as well.

Ingredients -

Potato - 1 huge russet potato, or 3 medium sized ones

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Spices - Salt, black pepper, red chilli powder, dhaniya-jeera powder (see recipe below)

Method -

1) Set the oven to 450 degrees

2) Peel the potato(es)

3) Cut into halves, and then cut the halves into four longitudinal sections, and then into thin slices. The thinner the slices, the faster and crispier the fries

4) Place the slices in a bowl. Mix in the oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tablespoon dhaniya jeera powder. Use your fingers - make sure the spices and oil are evenly distributed and coat every slice

5) Grease a baking sheet or a pizza pan with a little oil

6) Distribute the potato slices evenly in a single layer on the sheet

7) Bake in the oven till the slices are cooked through and begin to crisp. Make sure they do not burn. It will take atleast 20 minutes, but, as you are baking at a very high temperature, keep an eye on the oven and check every 5 minutes. Do not open the oven door too often as the heat will escape, but, turn the oven light on and take a peek every now and then.

Dhaniya jeera powder -

Dhania (coriander seeds) - 3 tablespoons

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 3 teaspoons

Heat a small non stick pan. Dry roast the seeds, constantly shaking/stirring the pan. The seeds turn black very quickly, so constantly keep them moving around the pan. When they turn a little brown, and you can smell the fragrance of the spices, immediately transfer the spices to a spice mill (coffee beans grinder) or very small blender jar (if you leave the seeds in the pan, they could still turn black due to the residual heat). Wait for about 5 minutes for the seeds to cool, and then grind to a very fine powder. Store immediately in an air tight jar. The blender jar has to be very small, otherwise, the seeds will not get powdered.

Note: Make very small quantities of this masala powder. It tastes wonderful when fresh, but can quickly lose all its flavor. You can buy dhaniya jeera powder in Indian or international grocery stores, but, the quantities are too much, and the flavor is lost very quickly.