Crunchy Oven-Fried Potatoes

I have a confession to make...I had fish and chips at the movies last night. It was bad. Not for the reason you think though. I know that both of those things are fried beyond belief and having them for dinner means that I had absolutely no vegetables. But that actually isn't why it was bad. I'm working on the whole "everything in moderation" perspective. So since I had a very healthy lunch and breakfast I refuse to feel bad for having a deliciously indulgent dinner every once in a while.

No, it was bad, because after all of the tasty, golden, fried deliciousness was digested and the movie was over, all that earlier yumminess had me burping up a storm. Now I know that's not the prettiest thought, but I know that some other people have this too. While fried foods taste good on the way down, they haunt your stomach for hours after.

I always seem to forget how uncomfortable this is when I actually order the fried foods. Next time I'll try to remember. I'll also try to remember how delicious these crunchy roast potatoes that I made were and how much joy I got out of them and how much more joy I got later in the night when I wasn't still suffering their ill-effects.

I do recognize that "oven-fried" potatoes can be a tough thing. They are often meant to serve as a healthy substitute for fries, however usually they end up being a soggy, flavorless reminder that you're trying to something healthy. Not so with this version of these potatoes. They turned out wonderfully crunchy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. With a generous dose of olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme they were a delicious, moderate indulgence.

I apologize that this recipe is not more exact. I have a couple of lame excuses (including that all ovens are different and that I was whipping them together frantically the other night as a side for my stuffed chicken) however I do promise that once I've made these again more carefully I'll make any updates to make the recipe more reliable.

Crunchy Oven-Fried Potatoes

Serves 4-6 (depending on how many you want)

1 1/2 lbs small white potatoes (NOT baking potatoes)

A couple of generous glugs olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp?)

Sea salt and ground pepper

Leaves from about 10 sprigs of thyme

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While it is pre-heating also place a large baking sheet in there and allow it to heat up.

Cut potatoes in half longways down the center. Then cut each half into 3 even wedges. Continue with remaining potatoes.

Place potato wedges in bowl with olive oil and thyme. Toss to coat.

Remove baking sheet from oven once it is done preheating. Place potatoes one baking sheet with one flat side down on the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown. Check for browning at around 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet and flip potato wedges onto the other flat side (this may seem like a lot of work but its absolutely worth it for the crispy outsides) and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Return to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until browned. Take a bite to test for doneness.