Homemade Freezer French Fries

Have you ever been in the grocery store and seen a great deal on a big bag of potatoes but didn't know how you would use them all before they went bad? On my last shopping trip I only needed a few pounds of potatoes but found a 10 pound bag of russet potatoes for $1.99. I went ahead and bought the big bag because it was cheaper than the smaller bag and I knew I could make some homemade french fries or freezer mashed potatoes with them. Since coming to the end of my 2 week meal plan I didn't have any other meals left that required potatoes so I knew I could use up the rest of the bag to make fries. 

I know it may seem like a lot of extra work to make your own fries but there are a lot of benefits to making your own and honestly it really doesn't require much to make them yourself. A big positive of making your own freezer fries is that they're cheaper! I just made about 4-5 pounds of french fries for under $1.00! Another great thing about making your own is that you control the seasonings which is a benefit to those who are watching their sodium intake. 

Now these freezer fries can be baked in the oven or fried in your air fryer. When it is warm in the house I like to use my air fryer to make fries to avoid having the oven heat the house up even more. Cooking times will vary depending on how big you cut your fries. 

The first step to making your own freezer fries is to obviously wash, peel and rinse your potatoes. Once you've done this I like to cut the ends and sides off the potato to make more blunt cut fries. 

Now it's time to cut your potatoes into fries. The size and thickness of your fries is up to you. Place your freshly cut fries into a bowl of cold water as your cutting the potatoes to avoid browning. 

Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the fries from the cold water and place into a pot of boiling water. Blanch for 5 minutes, no more no less. 

Strain your fries using a colander then transfer to a large bowl filled with ice water to shock the potatoes and stop the cooking process. 

Allow your fries to sit in the cold water for 5-10 minutes or until completely cooled. Strain your fries then return to the large bowl lined with a clean flour sack towel (paper towels are fine here too). Using your towel, pat the french fries dry until most of the water is absorbed.

Once you have patted the fries down, remove the towel from the bowl. Add your desired seasonings and toss to coat. I used 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Transfer the seasoned fries to a baking sheet. Place in a single layer and use parchment paper between layers if making a large batch. 

Place the baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Typically 2-3 hours is fine. Once frozen remove from freezer and pour into a labeled gallon size freezer bag. 

Day of Serving: Cook from frozen, do NOT thaw the potatoes or they will turn brown. Remove desired amount of fries from bag and toss with olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on thickness) or until crispy. If using the air fryer, preheat to 390-400 degrees. Add the fries to the air fryer basket and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until crispy (cooking times will vary depending on size of fries). Serve warm and enjoy!