Everyone Has a Food Vice

I love potato wedges even more so than fries if seasoned properly. I love how they're baked and not greasy and I especially love how well they go with fried chicken, my weakness and vice. For some women it's chocolate, for some men it's burgers and bacon. For Caroline it's nachos... for Sophia it could be chips. For Sarah, it's pizza. For me, it's fried chicken. It's a terrible vice to have. Tonight I decided to sway my craving with making potato wedges with my three pathetic potatoes that I had abandoned in my cupboard for weeks. I came across the recipe from food blogger and small time entrepreneur the Purple Foodie, based out of India. It was a recipe named for all time favorite and was featured on one of my favorite food browsing hot spots, Food Gawker.

I found the idea of microwaving the potatoes first a little strange. I think next time I'll parboil them as she suggests. I also would be curious to try this with some baked onions. I love chunks of roasted onions with potatoes. This recipe can also be adapted to your own tastes by playing with the seasonings. Why not add a little chipotle chili powder instead of cayenne? Or substitute with a bit of garam masala and coriander? Or change it up with basil, parsley, or rosemary with roasted chunks of tomato? I think I'll be using this recipe again anytime I'm craving fast food or fries. It does the trick, it can be made within an hour, it's much better for you and it's dirt cheap.

Recipe taken from http://purplefoodie.com/garlicky-baked-fries/

Garlic Fries
Adapted from: Lottie + Doof

8 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges
3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 225°C/440° F.
Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl, warming it until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to the baking dish, coating it well.
Add the potatoes to the bowl with the garlic mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.
Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat.
Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

Instead of microwaving, Purple foodie suggests par-boiling the potatoes and then letting them dry on paper towels.