Crispy Baked Cottage Fries

Name: Crispy Baked Cottage Fries
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 medium russet potatoes; 3 tablespoons avocado or other neutral oil; salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Baked Cottage Fries are the easiest of all fries, and truly an underrated snack and side dish! Rather than slice in wedges, cubes, or traditional french fry style, you simply slice a potato into thin disks, coat with oil, roast, and season. This recipe is my favorite healthy snack made in 25 minutes, with only 4 common ingredients.

It's also endlessly customizable, easy to scale up or down if you're willing to share, and impossible to get tired of.

A hand holding a crispy baked cottage fry over a tray of baked fries.

While cottage fries can be enjoyed year round, I enjoy them most in the cooler months since they're super warming and the oven heats up the house. I often make them as a mid-day snack or post-dinner treat.

They also pair well with other warming winter dinner recipes like our popular Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs and Vegan Swedish Meatballs, Baked Salmon Cakes, Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Sage Turkey Cranberry Meatballs.

For snacking, we like them best with this Black Bean Hummus recipe.

Jump to:

Allergy-Friendly
Ingredients Notes
Step-by-Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Other related potato recipes to consider...
Crispy Baked Cottage Fries

Allergy-Friendly

There is no need to consider substitutions for common allergens since this recipe is naturally top 9 allergy-free.

It is also vegan and gluten-free. For anyone sensitive to garlic, the garlic powder can easily be eliminated or replaced with your favorite spice.

Ingredients Notes

You need just a few common ingredients to make this recipe. I bet you have most (if not all) of them on hand already!

The three ingredients you need to make cottage fries: potatoes, seasonings, and oil.

Potatoes - Russet potatoes are ideal for this recipe because their high starch content leads to very crispy fries. Gold fleshed potato varieties have a nice flavor but a higher moisture content, so they will be less crispy.
Oil - Avocado and sunflower oil are ideal for this recipe because of their neutral flavor, liquid form at room temperature, and high smoking point (they won't smoke at 400 F). For extra flavor, use olive oil, but keep your oven temperature a little lower if it tends to run hot because olive oil smokes at 410 F.
Seasoning - This potato snack tastes fantastic with simply salt, pepper, and garlic powder. But you can season them any way you like! Ranch seasoning and Old Bay are other great choices.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Only 3 simple steps to the crispiest cottage fries!

A russet potato sliced into thin disks on a cutting board.

Step 1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the potatoes into disks. Slice thinner for crispier chip-like fries and thicker for softer cottage fries. I usually slice as thinly as I can with a regular chef's knife.

Potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in oil.

Step 2. Potatoes & Oil: Add oil to a large sheet pan, dividing between two pans if necessary. Use your fingers or a silicon brush to coat the bottom of each pan with oil.

Lay the potato slices down in a single layer. Then flip each slice to coat both sides with oil (alternatively you can brush with oil using a silicon brush).

Finished crispy cottage fries seasoned on a baking sheet.

Step 3. Bake: Bake for 10 minutes, flip each potato slice, then roast for 10 minutes more.

Remove your cottage fries from oven and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

All ingredient measurements are guidelines. All you need are potato slices coated with oil and seasonings to taste. Make it your own and feel free to experiment.
You will get the crispiest fries baking right on a metal pan. If using a silicone mat, you may need to increase the baking time or the fries will lose their crispiness.

Recipe FAQs

How do you store cottage fries?

Cottage fries are best enjoyed immediately after baking while they are crispy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to regain some of that initial crispiness.

What are cottage fries made of?

Cottage fries are made of just three ingredients: potatoes, oil, and salt. Additional seasonings are added to taste and they are typically enjoyed as a side dish or snack.

What oil is best for this recipe?

I prefer to use avocado oil because it is neutral in taste and can handle high temperatures because it has a high smoking point. You can also use sunflower oil or olive oil.

A serving bowl of freshly baked cottage fries.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below. And if you really like it, consider a comment in the field further down. Thank you!