Crispy Oven Baked Chips – Learn the secret to making beautifully crispy chips in the oven! Homemade scalloped potatoes with ham the secret to making beautifully crispy chips in the oven!
No need to par-boil the potatoes, and even peeling those spuds is optional! A simple and classic side dish to go with almost anything! Why are you cooking with the foil on first? Why do I need to use cornflour?
Do I need to soak the potatoes first? I’ll be the first to admit that I have a bag of frozen chips in in my freezer right now. It’s a handy freezer staple that I won’t hesitate to use. However, I always feel just a little bit more angelic when I make chips at home.
And this recipe makes lovely CRISPY chips – without having to get that deep fat fryer out. What’s the difference between fries and chips? From a UK perspective: Fries are skinny chips. Steak chips are fat chips – 1. Incidentally, for the 3 versions listed above, we’re talking about that potato side dish made up of long rectangular sliced potato with fluffy potato interior and crispy exterior. We’re not talking about crisps in any way shape or form.
US friends please let me know if I’m wrong here! What the UK call crisps are known as chips. What the UK call fries is the same thing in the US I believe. What the UK call chips are sometimes can be known in the US as fries or sometimes steak fries if they’re on the larger side?
What the UK call steak chips I believe are called steak fries in the US. So we’re making UK chips which are also US steak fries. Oil – use a neutral oil – such as sunflower or regular olive oil. Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post. Sprinkle with cornflour, then place on an oiled non-stick baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and drizzle on more oil. Cover the tray in foil, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes – this will steam the potatoes.
Remove the foil, then cook for a further 15-20 minutes, turning once with a spatula approx halfway through cooking. Be sure to oil the tray and foil that you’re placing on top of the tray – this will help to prevent the chips from sticking. I’ve even been known to serve them with homemade lasagne. Cornflour is a starch which produces a light crisp coating. Just enough to help crisp up the fries a little more than they would naturally. Soaking the potatoes removes some of the starch from the potatoes. Starch can make the surface of the potato sticky – which can make the chips stick together on the baking tray.
We’re coating the chips in a little oil – which will stop them sticking together. These sugars cook quickly, causing the potatoes to brown on the outside before the inside is cooked. We’re covering the potatoes for the first part of the cooking process – which starts the cooking process whilst protecting them from browning. Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. Brush a large metal non-stick baking tray with 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil.
If your tray isn’t non-stick, line the tray with non-stick foil instead. Sprinkle the sliced potatoes with the 1tbsp of cornflour and transfer to the oiled baking tray. Toss everything together with your hands so the fries are fully coated in the oil and arrange the chips in a single layer. Try to ensure they’re not touching too much. Cover the tray in a piece of foil that’s been greased with a little vegetable oil.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Turn the fries over using a spatula and cook for a final 5-10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a serving dish and serve. It’s really important to either use a non-stick baking tray, or to line the tray with non-stick foil. The starch in the chips will mean they REALLY want to stick to the tray. What are the best type of potatoes to use?
I use Maris Pipers – which are a floury potato. This ensures the potatoes have a lovely fluffy interior. King Edward, Rooster and Russet also work great. I do mine slightly differently in that I don’t use a cornstarch slurry. If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running.