Last week, I had mentioned dinner plans I had made with friends at Grass Fed JP in Jamaica Plain- and how their Parmesan truffle fries were so good that they had made me want to try my hand at whipping up a batch of my own. Well, this past weekend- in preparation for the Chiefs/Steelers game (and I’m still pretty bummed out about the Chiefs losing!)– I picked up the handful of ingredients I needed to make my own version.

But here’s the thing- truffle oil is kind of a pain to get. I checked three different stores around where I live and none of them had the stuff. The closest place, a good twenty minutes out of my way- had some priced at about $35 for a small bottle. The oil is apparently like liquid gold and twice as hard to track down.

Fortunately, the internet had plenty of helpful suggestions when it came to substituting other oils for truffle oil that would still keep the fries tasting good. Below is a recipe I scrounged up that originally included truffle oil, but I added some notes for anyone else who has trouble finding some and/or doesn’t want to spend a small fortune to get it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 large russet potatoes (about 2 ½ pounds)
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons truffle oil (**or substitute extra virgin olive oil)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

OKAY, HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F

2. Leave the skin on the potatoes. Cut each potato in half the long way, then each half in half the long way. From there, slice the wedges into strips- the width of your choosing depending on how thick you want the fries (I kept mine on the thinner side, but you can cut them into bigger wedges or shoestring pieces if you have the patience!)

3. In a bowl, toss the cut potatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay out flat on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn each wedge over and roast for about another 15 minutes or until browned and tender.

4. Remove hot fries from sheet pan and place in a large bowl and toss with truffle oil (or extra virgin olive oil), chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

5. Serve the fries hot and with your preferred dipping sauce on the side.

Even without truffle oil- these fries tasted so good! They were crisp and full of flavor- and were the perfect pre-game snack to reach for instead of the usual chips, pretzels or crackers. What I like best about making these, apart from the fact that they don’t take long at all to prepare and cook- is that you can be pretty lax with the ingredients. You can substitute oils, add more or less cheese/parsley/salt and pepper/etc. and they’ll still taste great.

Of course, if you have any suggestions for these fries for the next time I prepare them (which will be in like a day or two, probably!) feel free to share! I’m always open to new ideas and suggestions!

xx