Take your regular ol’ French fry recipe to new heights by making truffle fries! Hand-cut Russet potatoes crisp up beautifully on the outside yet stay soft and pillowy on the inside. Topped with vegan parmesan, fresh herbs, and delicate white truffle oil, this is one addicting snack!
What are truffles?
If you didn’t know, truffles are a type of mushroom that grows in black or white varieties. They are quite difficult to produce, have a short shelf life, and require a very specific climate to flourish.
Because of these reasons, they are one of the most expensive ingredients by weight (similar to caviar). You can find white truffles that sell for up to $1500 per pound. No, that’s not a typo!
What are truffle fries?
Truffle fries are simply French fries that have been infused with the intoxicating flavor of truffle oil, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. You’ve most likely seen them on the menu at many restaurants, but now you’ll finally know how to make them at home!
Although you will sometimes find fresh truffles shaved onto truffle fries, it’s typically easier (and cheaper) to buy truffle oil. That’s what we’ll be doing in the recipe I’m sharing with you today!
Are truffle fries vegan?
French fries and truffle oil are both vegan-friendly, but most truffle fries are topped with parmesan cheese, making them suitable for vegetarians only.
However, vegan cheese is so delicious nowadays that finding a suitable replacement couldn’t be easier! In this recipe, I use store-bought vegan parmesan, but you can easily make your own at home using cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, and salt.
What is the best truffle oil?
Finding the right truffle oil can be more challenging than one might think! Most truffle oil on the market is synthetic, only emulating the flavor of truffles rather than infusing the oil with the real deal.
It’s best to source all-natural truffle oil made with pieces of real truffles. It will be more expensive, but it’s absolutely worth it! TRUFF truffle oil, Urbani’s white truffle oil or Truffle Hunter are all-natural and made with real truffles. If you can’t find these brands, make sure to do your homework before buying!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Russet potatoes: The absolute best potato variety for French fries is Russet! It creates a crispy outside with a tender and pillowy inside. If you don’t have access to Russet potatoes, your next best option is Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Avocado oil: I prefer to use avocado oil, but you can use whichever your favorite cooking oil is; such as olive oil, safflower oil, or sunflower oil.
- Truffle oil: There are a few different types, but you will want white truffle oil for this recipe. It’s a bit expensive, but a little goes a long way if it’s real truffle oil! It offers a delicate onion and garlic fragrance.
- Vegan parmesan: Provides a savory, umami-rich element. Store-bought or homemade cashew parmesan both work for parmesan truffle fries.
- Salt: I recommend sea salt, and add a generous amount as potatoes can handle it.
- Paprika: I always reach for smoked paprika, but regular paprika works as well.
- Parsley: Freshly minced Italian parsley lends a fresh, bright, and vibrant finishing touch. Don’t have fresh parsley? Replace it with a sprinkle of dried parsley instead.
Instructions
- Step 1: First, slice the potatoes lengthwise then into ½-inch sticks. Place the fries in a mixing bowl and submerge them in water. Leave them to soak for about 20 minutes, which will help remove the starches. In meantime, preheat your oven to 475°F.
- Step 2: Once the fries are done soaking, drain and thoroughly pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Place the fries back into a dry mixing bowl, and add avocado oil and salt. Toss everything together until the potatoes are properly coated.
- Step 3: Arrange the fries in an even layer on a prepared baking sheet, then bake them for 20 minutes. Flip the fries over to encourage even browning, and bake them for another 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Once the fries are tender and crispy, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a minute before adding them back into the same mixing bowl. Drizzle them with truffle oil, parmesan, and parsley, gently tossing until they are fully coated.
Dips to serve with truffle fries
Once your truffle fries are hot and ready, serve them alongside dips like Southwest dressing, homemade ketchup, vegan chipotle mayo, guacamole, or Sriracha aioli. If you’re feeling adventurous, you might even like to serve yours with garlic chutney or green chutney!
Serve them as a snack on their own, or pair them with mains like gourmet vegan pizza, vegan Banh Mi, vegan baked pasta, or Turkish pide.
Storage
For any leftover parmesan truffle fries, follow these storage instructions:
- Fridge: Baked truffle fries will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing cooked truffle fries since the texture will become quite mushy once thawed. If that’s your only option, let them cool completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag. Store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Add the truffle fries (frozen or not) to a prepared baking sheet. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 5-6 minutes, or until hot and crispy again. You will need a few extra minutes if reheating from frozen. You can also reheat them in an air fryer at 300°F for 3-4 minutes.
- Make-ahead: While it’s best to eat cooked truffle fries as soon as possible, you can definitely pre-cut and soak the potatoes to save time on the day of cooking.
Variations
- Truffle oil: Swap white truffle oil with black truffle oil for a more intense and earthy taste.
- Different olive oil: Omit the truffle oil completely, and replace it with another infused olive oil like garlic, chili, basil, sun-dried tomato, rosemary, or thyme.
- Herbs and spices: I love the combination of paprika and parsley, but you can experiment with various herbs and spices like cayenne pepper, chili powder, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, or Italian seasoning.
Top tips
- Cut the potatoes evenly: For the best truffle fries, make sure you cut your potatoes as evenly as possible. This will ensure they cook at a similar pace and turn out perfectly!
- Don’t forget to flip: It’s important to turn the fries after 20 minutes to give all sides a chance to properly brown. Don’t forget to set your timer!
- Maintain some space: Overcrowding the baking sheet will result in the potatoes steaming rather than crisping up. If need be, use two baking sheets or make them in batches.
- Splurge for quality: Natural truffle oil provides a much smoother and more balanced taste than synthetic truffle oil. It’s worth the extra money! If you only have synthetic truffle oil available, reduce the overall amount added.
FAQ
It’s nearly impossible to generalize the flavor of truffle, but most people describe it as earthy, musky, and meaty. However, there will always be differences based on variety.
French fries are classically made with fried hand-cut potatoes seasoned with salt. Truffle fries are also hand-cut potatoes, but they are usually baked instead of fried and seasoned with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and truffle oil.
Similar Recipes
If you enjoy making and eating parmesan truffle fries as much as I do, be sure to check out some more of my favorite snacks and appetizers like these:
- Samosa chaat: Crispy samosas served over a warming, spice-infused chole masala, chutney, and yogurt.
- Turkish bread: Boat-shaped flatbreads stuffed with fillings like spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes.
- Masala puri: Crispy puri covered with ragda curry, fresh vegetables, chutneys, and crunchy sev.
- Aloo palak: Stir-fried spinach, tender potatoes, and aromatic spices cooked together in a simple, flavorful recipe.
Homemade Truffle Fries
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole russet potato
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or preferred cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon white truffle oil
- 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan vegan
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch paprika powder
- 1 sprinkle parsley finely minced
METHOD
- Slice potatoes lengthwise into evenly ½ inch sticks.
- Place fries in a mixing bowl and submerge with water. Let them rest for 20 minutes. This also a good time to preheat oven to 475°F.
- Drain the fries and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Then place the fries back in a dry mixing bowl. Add avocado oil, salt and toss together with the fries till they are all properly coated.
- Evenly arrange all the fries on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Once the fries tender and crispy, let them cool for a minute. Then place them back in the same mixing bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil, parmesan, parsley and gently toss together to properly coat each fry.
NOTES
- Cut the potatoes evenly: For the best truffle fries, make sure you cut your potatoes as evenly as possible. This will ensure they cook at a similar pace and turn out perfectly!
- Don’t forget to flip: It’s important to turn the fries after 20 minutes to give all sides a chance to properly brown. Don’t forget to set your timer!
- Maintain some space: Overcrowding the baking sheet will result in the potatoes steaming rather than crisping up. If need be, use two baking sheets or make them in batches.
- Splurge for quality: Natural truffle oil provides a much smoother and more balanced taste than synthetic truffle oil. It’s worth the extra money! If you only have synthetic truffle oil available, reduce the overall amount added.
- Extra crispy fries: You can add 1 tbs of starch in step 3 before baking for extra crispy fries.
- Dips: Serve these hot out of the oven truffle fries with Southwest Dressing or Sriracha Aioli as a dip.
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