Waffle Fries

I've mentioned before that the question "What's for dinner?" is all too common at my house. When we can't come up with something quickly, my teenage son's solution is usually pizza or Chick-Fil-A. Pizza is out on soooo many levels (garlic, gluten, cheese and tomatoes), and the only remotely low-calorie item on the Chick-Fil-A menu is the grilled chicken sandwich. But if I'm going to Chick-Fil-A, you can bet your money maker I'm getting the waffle fries.

Waffle fries are just so tasty! The problem is, of course, the fat and calories. You are definitely not going to get (or stay) thin munching down on that crap all the time.

My older son bought "me" a mandolin as a way of saying thank you for everything I'd done for him this summer. Personally, I think it was a slightly self-serving gesture. He's taking a cooking class at school and wanted to use the mandolin himself. Hey, it's cool, I still got a mandolin out of it and since it's a gift for me, he won't be taking it with him when he moves out.

I'm not a big fan of recipes that require special equipment (says the girl who covets her BlendTec). That being said, though, these fries were just too good not to post. They're obviously going to be thinner than those made at Chick-Fil-A, but because they're baked with no oil (just cooking spray), they taste that much better. Besides, I can season them how I want, and you can bet your sweet bee-hind I'm throwing some chili powder on these puppies.

Because I was doing this in my own little head, it took a few rounds of trial and error before we got them just right. Some were too salty (Hello, water!), others turned out more like potato chips (heeey, there's an idea!). The nice thing about potatoes is they're fairly cheap, so I didn't mind experimenting. Four potatoes in and we had a winner.

Ingredients:
4-6 potatoes, depending on number of fries you want
Cooking spray
Salt, chili powder or other seasonings as desired

Preheat the broiler. Line the largest cookie sheet you have with foil and spray with cooking spray. Simply use the waffle setting on the mandolin to slice the potato, rotating the potato 90 degrees each time you slice it. I recommend slicing only enough potatoes to fill the cookie sheet or else the potatoes will get discolored. Oxidation or some crap like that.

Arrange the potatoes on the cookie sheet and try not to let them touch. Trust me on this one, they stick together and get pretty tricky to flip. Sprinkle on seasonings, but go light. Remember, these are super thin so don't overdo it. Broil for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, flip with tongs, and broil another 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Remove from pan with a spatula and eat while hot. Or, if you can stand waiting, cover with foil to keep them warm until the whole batch is done.