Russet potatoes, parmesan cheese, garlic and a drizzle of truffle oil… this easy parmesan truffle fries recipe can be both a delicious appetizer and a perfect side dish!
Not everyone knows this, but in my region there’s a little town called Acqualagna, which is considered the truffle capital of Italy. It is a beautiful place hidden among the Apennines. And once a year, between October and November, it hosts the most important truffle festival in the central regions.
Last week some friends and I got on the road and went to check it out. And my goodness, it was totally worth the 2-hour drive.
I met a lot of local truffle producers that I will shop from in the future. I sipped a delicious mulled wine while admiring the view of the mountains. And most importantly, I did a lot of tasting.
Lasagna with black truffles, tagliatelle al tartufo, truffle escalopes… you get the idea. Truffle olive all’ascolana is now my favorite street food.
I also took a few products home. One of them was a small sample bottle of white truffle oil, and I already have many ideas on how to use it. Parmesan truffle fries, to name one.
This delicious recipe has been on my to do list for a while. It has an amazing flavor, and although it takes some time to make, you can multitask for most of it. This makes it a perfect solution for when you have to bring something to a special occasion but don’t want to spend much time at the stove.
It’s also very versatile. You can use either your oven, a deep fryer, or an air fryer. I’ll show you how to use each of them, and I’ll put my favorite method in the recipe card at the end of the post.
What are parmesan truffle fries?
If this is your first time making this dish, or you have never heard of it before, you might think it is something difficult or complex.
Wrong.
The title sums up the whole recipe. It’s just fries, with parmesan cheese and a little truffle oil. Effortless and delicious.
You might also think it’s an expensive dish, but that’s not completely true either
Sure, truffle oil is not exactly cheap. But good news, you need so little that you can buy a small sample bottle and make this dish for many parties or family gatherings to come. A little goes a long way. Or, you can invest in a full bottle, and use it for lots of other foods.
What you’ll need
Russet potatoes: they’re often considered the best option if you want some crispy fries.
Truffle oil: for the best flavor, it would be better to use natural truffle oil. It’s the one with real truffles on the bottom of the bottle. Black truffle oil has a robust, earthy flavor that matches perfectly with parmesan cheese. White truffle oil, on the other hand, has a lightly more spicy flavor.
If you cannot find natural truffle oil, you can also use the one made with synthetic truffle flavor. Be aware, however, that these oils have a much stronger aroma that can cover all the other flavors in the recipe and be a bit excessive.
Parmesan cheese: Some people prefer to use pecorino romano, but I think that parmesan’s nutty flavor is perfect for this recipe.
Salt: some people like to use truffle salt, but I think it’s a bit redundant. You already have the oil for the truffle flavor and trust me, it’s enough. Fine or Kosher salt will be perfect.
Optional ingredients
Depending on how you decide to make your parmesan truffle fries, you can add some more ingredients to spice them up.
If you’re frying them, you could add some dried oregano and maybe garlic powder before serving them.
If you prefer to bake them, you can add a bunch of rosemary and fresh garlic cloves.
Then, right before serving, you can toss in some fresh parsley leaves.
Generally speaking, anything that you could find in an Italian seasoning will be fine. You could also add some extra spiciness with chili pepper flakes, but make sure you don’t cover the flavor of truffles.
How to make parmesan truffle fries
As I was saying, there are three ways to make this super easy recipe. Let me show you all of them.
Preparation
To start, clean the potatoes and cut them by hand into thin, long strips. Then, let them soak for about 20 minutes in cold water. This will remove some of their starch and make them extra crispy at the end of the process.
After the 20 minutes have passed, dry them as best you can with a clean kitchen towel. From here on, you can either bake them or fry them.
Option 1: Baking
Preheat the oven to 425°F, then take a baking sheet and cover it with greaseproof parchment paper. Arrange the potatoes on it along with the garlic, rosemary and a little olive oil, and bake in fan mode for 25 minutes.
If your oven does not have this option, static mode is fine, but you may have to wait a little longer for the fries to become crispy.
After the first 10 minutes of baking, stir them with a spatula to cook them evenly.
Option 2: Deep frying
Heat some seed oil in a deep fryer until it reaches at least 270° F, then fry your fries for about 7 minutes, until they become nicely crispy and golden brown.
After that, let them dry for a few minutes on some paper towels to absorb all excess oil.
Option 3: Air Frying
If you have an air fryer, put the potatoes in the basket and fry them for 16 minutes at 400° F. Every once in a while, take them out and shake them to make sure they cook evenly.
Adding truffle oil and parmesan
Now that your homemade French fries are ready, it’s time to season them. Place them in a large bowl, and add salt to taste along with the truffle oil and parmesan cheese, mixing with a spoon.
If you wish, you can also add some fresh parsley and other spices of your choice.
Now, all you have to do is let them cool for a few minutes and serve.
This recipe is designed for immediate consumption, but if you wish, you can prepare your fries in advance and then season them when you like. But if you ask me, they are definitely better served hot.
Parmesan Truffle Fries FAQs
Q: Do I have to peel the potatoes?
A: Not necessarily. Some people like the extra crispiness added by potato skins.
Q: I don’t have much time, can I avoid soaking the potatoes?
A: Soaking the potatoes in water will take out some of their starch and make them extra crispy. Anyway, it’s not mandatory if you ask me. In fact, One of the pans I put in the oven contained wedge potatoes that had not been soaked, and they were delicious anyway.
Q: Are truffles mushrooms or potatoes?
A: Like mushrooms, truffles are the fruiting body of a fungi. More precisely, of many fungi in the family Tuberaceae. But while mushrooms typically grow above soil, truffles grow below ground. They also require specific climatic and geographical conditions.
It is often said that truffles are tubers, but this is a misunderstanding. You see, most truffles come from a type of fungi called Tuber. Both this type and the entire Tuberaceae family are called that because it produces edible spores similar to, well, tubers.
This has caused the confusion that exists to this day about truffles. But aside from their appearance and the fact that they grow underground, there is no other similarity between truffles and tubers such as potatoes.
If you want to learn more about what they really are, how they taste like, and how to use them in cooking, here is an interesting article by allrecipes.com.
So what’s the best way to make them?
I don’t really believe in “best ways”. Everyone has their own favorite method for parmesan truffle fries, and they’re all good and valid. However, if you ask me what’s my favorite way, I’ll answer baking.
I know, they’re called fries because you’re supposed to fry them, but baked potatoes are one of the things I like more in the world. So, that’s what I’m putting in the recipe card.
If you prefer to be philologically correct and fry your potatoes, you have all the info you need above. Whatever way you choose, I hope you enjoy you parmesan truffle fries. Let me know what you think of them!
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Parmesan Truffle Fries
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
6 Russet potatoes
2 tbsp truffle oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic knob
2 sprigs of rosemary
freshly chopped parsley leaves to taste
fine salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Clean the potatoes and cut them by hand into thin, long strips. Then, let them soak for about 20 minutes in cold water. This will remove some of their starch and make them extra crispy at the end of the process.
- After the 20 minutes have passed, dry them as best you can with a clean kitchen towel.
- Take a baking sheet and cover it with greaseproof parchment paper. Arrange the potatoes on it along with the garlic, rosemary and a little olive oil, and bake in fan mode for 25 minutes. If your oven does not have this option, static mode is fine, but you may have to wait a little longer for the fries to become crispy.
- After the first 10 minutes of baking, stir them with a spatula to cook them evenly.
- When the fries are ready, place them in a large bowl and season them with salt, the remaining spices, truffle oil, and parmesan cheese. Mix well with a spoon.
- Let cool for a couple minutes and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 25
- Method: Baking
