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 everyday snacks 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.
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 Canned Chickpea Hummus and our flavorful Black Bean Hummus.
For more easy potato recipes, check out my Italian Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with coconut milk, Dairy-Free Scalloped Potatoes, and Crispy Parsley Potatoes.
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What are Cottage Fries?
Cottage Fries are circle cut fries that are typically fried or baked. Sometimes, the term is used to describe any kind of "home fry" or breakfast potatoes fried in a skillet. Most often they are round and smooth or crinkle cut.
The name "cottage fry" comes from their likeness to shingles on a cottage when arranged in neat rows. They also have country roots, and the term cottage fry is the perfect reminder of this.
What type of potatoes should I use?
Idaho and Russet Potatoes are perfect for making all kinds of french fries, including these circle cut cottage fries! Both of these potatoes have a high starch content, which helps them to get extra crispy.
Gold or Yukon gold potatoes can also be used, but I think these potatoes are best in my Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes.
Avoid using any potatoes with waxy skins like red skin potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or new potatoes. Their high moisture content makes for limp soggy fries, rather than the super crispy cottage fries we're aiming for.
How to make it (with photos)
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!
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. For more information on specific varieties, see the section above on "best potatoes for cottage fries".
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, black pepper, and garlic powder. But you can season them any way you like! Ranch seasoning, paprika, and Old Bay are other great choices. I have even more seasoning favorites listed with "best seasonings and dipping sauces" below.
Love some heat? Consider adding a small pinch of chili powder or cayenne pepper powder!
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
There are only 3 simple steps to make the crispiest baked cottage fries!
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.
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).
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!
Best Seasonings + Dipping Sauces
I usually make this recipe with a very basic seasoning as listed in the recipe, but feel free to switch it up!
Here are some of my favorite Cottage Fry seasonings:
- Truffle salt
- Dill pickle
- Cajun seasoning
- Old Bay
Cottage fries are great for scooping up your favorite dips!
Here are some of our favorite cottage fry dips:
- Hummus
- Black Bean Hummus
- Garlic Aioli
- Ketchup
- Guacamole
- Pesto (I love this vegan pesto recipe)
Any favorite dipping sauce for french fries will go great with this recipe.
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.
- Read the section above on the best potatoes to use. Idaho and Russet potatoes are best, with a few varieties I recommend avoiding.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this cottage fry recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments below and I'll answer within two business days.
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.
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.
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.
More easy potato recipes to consider...
Looking for more ways to eat potatoes? Here are some great ones for you to try next:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Crispy Baked Cottage Fries (circle fries)
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- salt pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- 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.
- 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 to coat both sides with oil (alternatively you can brush with oil using a silicon brush).
- Bake: Bake for 10 minutes, flip each slice, then bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Enjoy!
Ricko says
looks good
Tammy says
I made these with olive oil today. Thanks for the tip to lower the oven with olive oil. True to my Italian heritage, I used garlic salt. Delicious!!
Jamie says
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chanel says
These cottage fries are super addictive! It’s so much easier to just cut them in circles instead of fry shape. We will be making them again.
Nick says
I just made these with parsnips and they are so good. I definitely recommend this recipe. I've been making the potato version ever since you posted them on instagram last year! Love these!
Martine says
Hmmmm... chips or fries? My daily dilemma. :0) COTTAGE FRIES IT IS!!! Thank you for this super simple and tasty recipe!! I especially like them sprinkled with Old Bay!!
Stacey B. says
Love how simple this recipe is and they are extra good with avocado oil! I've stopped buying potato chips from the store!
Jamie says
Same here! We bought a bag of chips and realized immediately that cottage fries are just sooo much better. Thank you for the review Stacey!
Rob W. says
Soooo good! My kids loved them! Planning on making them for the Super Bowl!
Andie says
I couldn't decide if I wanted chips or fries - this satisfied my craving for both! I used olive oil and added a little parsley. Will definitely be a frequent side in my house!