A Couple Cooks

Parmesan Truffle Fries

November 14, 2019

Crispy potatoes, truffle oil, and Parmesan cheese: WOW! These Parmesan truffle fries are insanely tasty, baked in a hot oven until they’re crisp. Vegan variation included.

Truffle Fries

Oh hi there, fellow truffle lovers! Ever ordered truffle fries at a restaurant and wanted to recreate them at home? Well, do we have a recipe for you! This Parmesan truffle fries recipe is pretty darn special. Thee flavor is every bit as good as restaurant fries, though they’re baked not fried. They have just the right subtle hint of earthy truffle. And they’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, perfectly salted and mixed with cheese to take them over the top. Seriously, WOW! You’ll feel so fancy, you won’t know what to do with yourself. As a 100% truffle fan, I was blown away with this one. (And Alex was happy to find my ideal comfort food recipe.)

Parmesan truffle fries

What are truffle fries?

First off: what exactly are truffle fries? Truffle fries are french fries mixed with truffle flavor. Usually the flavor comes from with truffle oil, though some restaurants may use shaved real truffle. And we’re not talking chocolate here, obviously! Black and white truffles can be considered a type of mushroom: but technically, they’re fungi! Unlike other mushrooms, they grow underground and don’t have a visible stem. They’re considered the “diamond of the kitchen” and are highly prized in many cuisines.

Why do people love truffles so much? Well, first of all the flavor. Truffles are earthy, intoxicating, and make anything they’re added to taste more intriguing. Second, they’re very expensive and rare because they’re difficult to harvest (making them all the more desirable!). Hunters actually take specially trained dogs and pigs out to hunt for truffles to find their scent underground. Which leads us to why truffle oil has become an easy way to enjoy the flavor of truffles. Keep reading…

Truffle oil

What’s the best truffle oil?

If you’re a truffle lover like I am, you may have heard there’s some controversy around truffle oil. Chefs have often turned up their noses at it. Why? Well, many truffle oils out there are synthetic. They only mimic flavors found in real truffles, and are often extremely strong. But good news: there are finally some all natural truffle oils on the market! This type of truffle oil is made with pieces of actual truffles and is not synthetic. Use all natural truffle oil for these Parmesan truffle fries if at all possible!

What’s the best truffle oil to buy for truffle fries? Our favorite brand to use is Urbani’s white truffle oil (we’re not affiliated). It’s made in Italy, is all natural and has real truffle pieces inside. After cooking with it for a while, we love its subtle truffle aroma. If you grab a jar, you can also use it on our Truffle Pizza!

Parmesan truffle fries

Tips for making truffle fries

OK! Feeling truffle educated? (Me too.) A little personal info on why I’m so into this. Truffle is my favorite flavor in the world. Yep, I can’t help it! It’s earthy and intoxicating. Also, it reminds me of our travels to Italy, so of course that gives me all the feels! I was incredibly excited to be able to make truffle fries at home. Here are a few tips for how it’s done:

  • Master hand-cutting your fries. Chopping fries requires a bit of technique, and it’s easiest to show rather than tell. Head to How to Cut Potatoes into Fries or watch the video below.
  • Bake with the fries far apart on the baking sheet. How to get fries crispy? Keep them as far apart on the baking sheets as possible when baking. This allows for the best airflow between the fries. Maybe it sounds picky, but trust us! Pile the fries on top of each other and they turn soggy and steamed instead of crisp.
  • Find a great truffle oil. As we noted above, all natural truffle oil is much higher quality with better flavor than a synthetic oil. What if all you can find is synthetic? You can still use it! Just drizzle a little less than stated in the recipe, because the flavor is much stronger.

How to make them vegan: omit Parmesan!

Is the cheese in these Parmesan truffle fries required? Actually, no! You can easily make these truffle fries vegan by simply omitting the Parmesan cheese. You may also want to sprinkle with a bit more salt.

But the Parmesan is highly recommended! If you do eat cheese, we suggest using it. Alex and I tried it both ways, and the cheese added a certain magic that turned the flavor from incredible to insane. And that’s it: everything about truffle fries! Let us know in the comments below if you try them out!

Truffle fries

This truffle fries recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For plant-based, dairy-free and vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese.

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Parmesan Truffle Fries

Parmesan Truffle Fries

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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4

Description

Crispy potatoes, truffle oil, and Parmesan cheese: WOW! These Parmesan truffle fries are insanely tasty, baked in a hot oven until they’re crisp.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons all-natural truffle oil or to taste with a synthetic truffle oil (Important! See Note)*
  • Parmesan or Pecorino, freshly grated (omit for vegan)
  • Chunky sea salt, for garnish
  • Chopped chives, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.
  2. Cut the potatoes into fries (watch the video to see!): Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base. Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a ¼-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries. The pieces can be uneven, but aim for as uniform of thickness as possible. See the video for full instructions.
  3. Place the fries in a large bowl with the olive oil and kosher salt. Mix thoroughly to combine.
  4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries on the paper, placing them as far apart as possible.
  5. Bake the fries for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and flip them. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees.
  6. Reverse the trays in the oven and bake another 10 minutes until the fries are crisp and golden brown, watching carefully as the cooking time can depend on the fry thickness and oven. (If the majority of the fries seem soft, continue to bake a few more minutes.)
  7. Remove the baking sheets from the oven. Drizzle with the truffle oil (note that if your bottle does not say “all natural”, drizzle to taste — it’s much stronger than all natural, so don’t use the quantity listed.) Add chunky sea salt, crushing it with your fingers as you sprinkle. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chives. Serve immediately (fries become softer as they sit). If making in advance, omit Step 7, then reheat the fries in a 400 degree oven and perform Step 7.

Notes

*If you use an all natural truffle oil like Urbani natural truffle oil, the flavor is more subtle, so you’ll need more than if you use a synthetic oil. If you buy a truffle oil that is not marked with “natural flavor” anywhere on the package, it will be stronger. Drizzle it on to taste. 

  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: French

Keywords: Truffle Fries, Parmesan Truffle Fries

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes

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