Olive Oil French Fries

Potatoes are a food staple in Crete. My uncle, who lives in a small Cretan village, has a large plot of land dedicated just to potatoes. He grows enough potatoes for the entire year for his family. His basement is literally filled with potatoes, (covered with flour to help preserve them). When I lived in Crete with my aunt and uncle, we ate potatoes practically every day. My aunt would roast them in the oven, put them in stews, boil them for Horta, and, of course, make olive oil french fries.

Olive Oil French Fries

In Crete, everything is fried in extra virgin olive oil. In the video, you can see my aunt making these olive oil french fries from scratch. I definitely had to take a video of her when she was peeling the potatoes because she’s such a pro. She’s been peeling potatoes with a tiny paring knife her entire life. If I try to peel them like her, I waste so much of the flesh, but she gets the skin off paper thin. I love how she fills up the frying pan from her massive vat of extra virgin olive oil that’s made from my Uncle’s olive trees.  His trees grow the Koroneiki variety of olive which is a small black olive. These produce one of the highest quality extra virgin olive oils in the world. A lot of people in America think that using that much olive oil to fry with is a waste because it’s so expensive. The thing is, you can use the olive oil to fry again three or four more times after the first use. Extra virgin olive oil is so abundant in Crete though, that no one even thinks about using “too much”.

How to Fry Olive Oil French Fries

 

These french fries pair amazingly with so many Mediterranean diet recipes but I have a favorite meal. Make your favorite baked, steamed, or roasted fish, preferably whole, and pair it with boiled greens with lemon and olive oil (aka Horta) and these french fries. This is a classic combo that is a perfect summer meal, however, you can eat it year round because these ingredients are always available. For me though, I imagine myself at a seaside taverna eating this meal with a glass of white wine, and an amazing view of the turquoise Aegean sea.

Olive Oil French Fries

Olive Oil French Fries

George Zikos
4.36 from 14 votes
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds potatoes, peeled
  • Extra virgin olive oil for deep frying (enough to cover fries) 
  • salt

Instructions
 

  • Peel potatoes. Cut into french fry shape. Make sure they aren't too thick. Try and make them about 1/4 inch thick.
  • Soak fries in a bowl of water for half an hour. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Set burner to medium and wait for oil to heat up, about 5 minutes. Make sure you have enough oil so the fries will be completely covered while frying.
  • Fry potatoes until they start to turn golden brown on edges, stirring every few minutes. Transfer to a plate with paper towels on it to soak up some of the excess oil. Sprinkle salt on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 14mgPotassium: 955mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 2mg
Have you tried this recipe? Tell us about it!Click here to rate this recipe in the comments section below.
About the Author: George Zikos
George studied International Business in Greece in 2015 for three semesters. His family is from the island of Crete, and he lived with them for a whole summer. During that time, he started working for Mediterranean Living and contributing his firsthand experiences of the traditional Cretan diet. He learned fluent Greek along the way, being fully immersed in a traditional Cretan village. He is since graduated with a business degree from Worcester State University. George loves language and traveling, so he completed a TEFL certificate program at the Boston Language Institute in order to teach English abroad and travel the world. He currently works full-time blogging, recipe formulating, and social media marketing for Mediterranean Living. His passions include language, gardening, hiking, skateboarding, and watching sports. He dreams of living in Crete one day, after he travels the world learning as many languages and cultures as possible.

5 Comments

  1. Maxine Coleman November 1, 2023 at 8:50 pm - Reply

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to try them. I’m out of my regular frying oil, and I have a large can of olive oil I’ll try them tomorrow. You make them sound so good. Maxine

    • Winter LeBlanc November 16, 2023 at 11:05 am - Reply

      Thank you – Mediterranean Living Team

  2. Melissa Wilson May 6, 2022 at 5:59 pm - Reply

    5 stars
    I finally tried fries using the olive oil. This recipe was great. I made hamburgers on the grill. No more Five Guys.

  3. garry nelson January 27, 2022 at 11:21 pm - Reply

    5 stars
    I’m trying that later

    • Bill Bradley, R.D. January 29, 2022 at 4:40 pm - Reply

      Hope you enjoy it! They are super good.

4.36 from 14 votes (11 ratings without comment)

Leave A Comment

Recipe Rating




Mediterranean Living

Our Newsletter

Get seasonal recipe ideas as well as special offers on our online programs, live webinars and video releases. Sent once a week.