Rustic Parmesan Fries with Black Truffle Oil (100th Post!)

Save for puppies and long stretches of time with nothing to do, french fries may be my favorite thing in the whole world. Since I try to keep a healthy diet, I deprive myself of that type of fried goodness on a daily basis. However, every once in a while I give in to their salty siren song. This usually occurs around the intersection of Cooper and Young, ground zero for great fries in this town. The Young Ave. Deli deep fries freshly cut, skin-on potatoes in hot peanut oil, and then sprinkles them with seasoned salt. They are rustic and wonderful.  The Beauty Shop takes a more sophisticated approach to their potato preparation. Their long, thin, crispy potatoes come out sprinkled with parmesan cheese, drizzled in truffle oil, and served in a wax paper cone inside of a silver cup. The Wife and I nearly lose our cool making sure that we get our fair share of this indulgence. 

My version combines the best of both worlds, but instead of frying them, I bake them in my convection oven. You'll need:

2 baking potatoes (washed and cut into long, thin strips)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

black truffle oil

parmesan cheese

salt

Preheat your convection oven to 500 degrees. Toss the potatoes in vegetable oil, and then arrange them in a single layer on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Stick them in the oven until they are brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer potatoes to a plate. Sprinkle with salt, parmesan, and then drizzle with truffle oil. The minute the truffle oil hits the hot potatoes, you will find yourself mesmerized by the intoxicating aroma.