Air Fried Truffle Parmesan Fries with Garlic Chive Aioli
Air Fried Truffle Parmesan Fries with Garlic Chive Aioli- Restaurant quality fries tossed with fresh parmesan and white truffle oil are lightened up by nixing the deep fryer and cooking in the air fryer. Then, they’re served with an herbaceous dipping sauce!
February 8, 2021 by Nicole Collins
My name is Nicole, and I’m obsessed with my air fryer.
I truly never thought I’d be someone that would say that. But, here we are.
Here’s the thing…I fought the air fryer craze for YEARS. To me, an air fryer couldn’t do anything that an oven couldn’t do. And I guess, technically, that’s true.
But, I’ve tested a few of my favorite things in the air fryer vs. the oven, and there’s a noticeable difference in the cook of the two. Of course, things move a lot faster in the air fryer. But, there’s something about the juicy interior and perfectly caramelized exterior of air fried salmon that will change your life.
If you haven’t already noticed, homemade french fries are my other current air fryer obsession. The outside gets perfectly crisp while the inside stays soooo fluffy. I swear, they’re comparable to the local favorite, Boardwalk fries, in my opinion; and that’s a really big statement. The same exact fry made in the oven is fine and all, but it is just not the same.
Now, there are some people that are air fryer obsessed to the point where they use it for every meal. Their air fryers are definitely well seasoned. I’m not there yet. It’s still a special occasion device for me. But, that doesn’t mean that I won’t tell everyone that will listen that they need an air fryer.
And in an effort to sway anyone who’s not ready to take the leap yet, let me introduce you to today’s recipe.
Today, we’re making Air Fried Truffle Parmesan Fries with Garlic Chive Aioli.
Let me give you a sec to pick your jaw up off of the floor.
Here’s the scoop. We’re making restaurant quality, hand cut french fries. Then, we’re ditching the deep fryer, using significantly less oil, and crisping our fries to the perfect texture in the air fryer. Next, we’ll toss them in a flavorful mix of fresh parmesan, funky white truffle oil, and fresh parsley. And finally, we’ll serve them with a pungent and herbaceous homemade dipping sauce.
Does that sound like absolute heaven, or what?
Let’s talk fries. We’re going to use a good ol’ russet potato for this recipe. And, russets have lots and lots of starch. So, the secret to keeping our fries crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside is to soak those potatoes in cold water to wash off as much of that extra starch as we can. We’ll cut them into our ideal fry shape, and let them soak for about 30 mins. Then, we’re going to rinse rinse rinse those potatoes until the liquid coming out of the bowl is perfectly clear. That’s how we know we’re ready to move on.
Before we oil and season our fries, we have to dry them as well as we possibly can. We all know oil and water don’t mix, so if we try to toss our potatoes before they’re really dry, our outcome is not going to be ideal. But once they’re dry, into a bowl they go to get coated in the simplest mix of canola oil, salt, and pepper.
The next step is to get our fries into the air fryer for that perfect cook. In order to achieve this, it’s important that we’re cooking our fries in a single layer so the hot air has a chance to circulate all around evenly. This usually takes me two batches to make all of the fries. While the second batch is cooking, we can keep the cooked fries warm in an oven set to about 200 degrees. This is not hot enough to continue cooking them but just warm enough so all of the fries can be served HOT together.
When all of the fries have finished cooking, it’s time to toss them in a beautiful mix of white truffle oil, fresh parmesan that we grated ourselves, and minced fresh parsley. We want to toss everything together while the fries are still hot so they absorb all of that delicious flavor. Now different brands of truffle oils have different strengths of truffle flavor. So, start with the smaller amount listed in the recipe, and add more truffle oil if the truffle taste is not strong enough for you.
You can’t have fries without dip, right? So, we’re going to make the easiest dipping sauce for our truffle fries. We need some mayo, some minced chives, a squeeze of lemon juice, and some grated garlic. Grating the garlic on a microplane or rasp helps to break the garlic down so finely that it melts into our sauce. This is WAY better than chomping down on a hunk of raw garlic, so I don’t recommend skipping this small step if you can help it.
When it’s time to eat, we’re rewarded with a flavor explosion in our mouths. The fries are warm and crispy. They’re rich and luxurious. They’re savory and funky. They’re absolute perfection. And that dipping sauce, it’s bright and herbaceous and a little sharp from the garlic. It’s just the most flawless combination anyone could ask for.
And, it’s all made possible by our air fryer!
Ok, everyone. I’m sticking with the truffle theme. So next up, we’re making a main course with our truffle flavors. Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Air Fried Truffle Parmesan Fries with Garlic Chive Aioli
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the French Fries:
2 lbs russet potatoes, skin on and washed
2 ½ tbsp canola oil
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp white truffle oil
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp parsley, minced
For the Garlic Chive Aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp chives, minced
½ tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
Make the French Fries: Slice potatoes lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. Then lay the slices flat, and cut ¼ inch sticks to make a french fry shape. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl of cold water, and allow to soak for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, make the Garlic Chive Aioli: Add mayonnaise, grated garlic, minced chives, and lemon juice to a small mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
After potatoes have soaked, drain the water, rinse and drain the potatoes again, then transfer potatoes to a clean kitchen towel. Use paper towels to thoroughly dry the potatoes as best as you can. Wash out the soaking bowl, and dry it well. Add potatoes back to the bowl along with canola oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes to evenly coat in oil and spices.
Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees. Arrange potatoes in a single layer (all fries will not fit at once), and air fry for 16-18 minutes, tossing the fries once half way through cooking. Repeat with additional batches until all potatoes have been cooked. Alternately, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread fries out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-45 mins tossing the fries once half way through cooking. Set fries aside. If desired, keep fries warm by spreading them on a parchment lined baking sheet, and keeping them in an oven set to 200 degrees.
Place hot fries in a large clean bowl. Top with truffle oil, to taste, parmesan, and parsley. Toss gently to coat the fries. Transfer to a serving tray, and serve with Garlic Chive Aioli. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*I 1000% prefer making the french fries in the air fryer as opposed to roasting them in the oven. The air fryer is faster, and I like the texture a lot better. I recommend air frying over baking if you have the option. I used the air crisp feature on my Ninja Foodi Grill, and I was able to knock out the fries in 2 batches.
*We want to toss the fries with the truffle oil, cheese, and parsley while they're hot piping hot. Since my air fryer cooked my fries in 2 batches, I tossed half the fries with half the oil, parm, and parsley; then tossed the 2nd batch of fries with the remaining ingredients. If you're keeping your first batch of fries warm in the oven, you'll be able to toss everything at once as soon as all of the fries are finished.
*I like to use a microplane to grate both the parmesan and the garlic. Doing a fine grate on the garlic really helps it to disperse through the sauce, and we want a delicate grate on the cheese so that it blends well with the fries.
*Different brands of truffle oil will have different strengths of truffle flavor, so start with 1 tbsp oil and decide if you want/need more. I use this brand of white truffle oil, and I used 2 tbsp.
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