Oven Baked Matchstick French Fries and Hashbrown

Which kiddo does not love french fries? My boy is no different. With the potatoes sitting at home, why not give it a try. Not in favour of frying so went for a slightly healthier version, baked.

Adapted the recipe from this link:

http://minimalistbaker.com/crispy-baked-garlic-matchstick-fries/

Since I did not exactly follow the recipe, as mine is a much much simpler version, so let's just have my version here. For a more flavourful french fries, do refer to the link.

Baked Matchstick French Fries Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 potato, washed and skinned
Olive Oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160 deg celsius
2. Chop potato into matchsticks by halving, halving once more, then cutting into wedges, then strips.
3. Wash and rinse the potato until the water is no longer cloudy.
4. Put the potato into a bowl, add in the olive oil. Mix well.
5. Line the baking tray with the baking paper.
6. Arrange fries in a single layer, making sure they aren't touching over overlapping. This will help them crisp up and cook evenly.
7. Bake for 25-35 minutes, tossing/ slipping at least once to ensure even baking.
8. Remove from and serve when cooled.

Baked Hashbrown Recipe
Frankly this recipe is a failure, it's basically another version of the above, served differently

Ingredients
1/2 potato, washed, skinned and shredded
Olive Oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160 deg celsius
3. Wash and rinse the potato until the water is no longer cloudy. Squeeze as much water out as possible.
4. Put the potato into a bowl, add in the olive oil. Mix well.
5. Line the baking tray with the baking paper.
6. Arrange potatoes on the baking paper.
7. Bake for 25-35 minutes, try to flip at least once to ensure even baking.
8. Remove from and serve when cooled.

 

This apparently fails because the hashbrown does not hold it's shape. Something is missing. A quick search on the Internet confirms that I had butter lacking in my ingredients, perhaps 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted will do the trick. I was also thinking about adding egg, which should be able to hold the form.

Another trick mentioned is to use a mould to give the hasbrown the thickness and shape. As can be seen on my potato, mine is so shapeless.