Oven-roasted fries. Photo: Gudlyf, Flickr.

And by "home" fries, we don't mean chunks of potatoes fried in butter on the stove top (though those do sound delicious). No, we mean slim, julienned slices of the root vegetable roasted in a home cook's oven.

These slivers of salty heaven are from Flickr user Gudlyf, who used three large Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced with a mandoline, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with the simple but always satisfying combination of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. And, wrote Gudly, they are "as crunchy -- sometimes crunchier -- than the deep-fried versions at your local watering hole."

Pass a bit of ketchup and we would gladly trade a serving of soggy restaurant fries for this tray of golden goodness, stretching as far as the eye can see.

[Via Flickr]

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If you devour Terra chips and wonder why potatoes are the only veggie that gets such beloved treatment, or if you love everything fried, you must try yuca fries.

Yuca is that large, kinda scary looking vegetable that pops up all over the place now, but still isn't getting its culinary due. It's starchy, full of good calcium, and even a taste of Vitamin C -- basically a sweeter sort of potato with a slightly different flavor and texture. Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy to prepare as our ol' potatoes. The skin is much firmer, and cutting it is more like a butternut squash than a potato.

Nevertheless, when you throw it into some hot oil, then spray it with salt and seasoning, it's french fries with a twist -- familiar enough that it's almost like old-hat, with a new and fresh flavor that ups the ante. Since it's quite a firm root, yuca is often boiled first, although the above fries were just thrown raw into some oil cooking away on med-high heat until they were crunchy. And of course, like potatoes, they can be made into some rather tasty chips.

As an eating and cooking culture, we're super-glued to our potatoes, and with good reason: They're delicious, versatile, and easy to prepare. But even as great as the taters are, sometimes other roots need their time in the spotlight.

We always think of the delicious potatoes falling into the sizzling hot oil, but what about apples?

Above you can watch Chef Jason Hill make apple fries. Oh yes, he takes apples, slices 'em like fries, fries 'em up, and tops them with some cinnamon sugar. Unlike potatoes, which benefit from the double-frying technique, these guys are simple and quick -- just a coating of corn starch and into the oil they go. The simplicity and speed of this makes it perfect for that wow-treat for company. It won't take hours to make, and your guests will get a pleasantly sweet surprise.

Hill pairs the fries with a quick sauce of marshmallow and cream cheese, but I'm thinking a delicious yogurt-based dip would be perfect with this.

I understand the allure of an efficient kitchen only clogged with tools one absolutely needs. I get it. Most things can be done with a few basic tools. Yeah, I know. But unless I go psycho and decide to slice by hand, no knife is going to give me crinkle cut fries.

Just look at them. There's something immensely comforting and mouth-salivating about the crinkle cut, especially if its on a pile of fries fresh out of the oil and dusted with salt and pepper. The crinkle cut offers an air of professional talent and can make even the quickest frites look all the more carefully cut. A smooth fry is no match for the dark peaks and lighter ridges of the crinkle, like the grill marks we all love to make.

Even on the side of practicality, it makes sense. Those crinkle suckers are powerful, sliding through taters like there's no resistance at all. Once I picked up one of my own, I wished I'd had it all those years when I had crappy knives and tried to cut through tough, unwielding potatoes. Now, it's my go-to tool for taters, giving a little visual flair that makes this stomach all the happier. Don't you agree?

After a number of months of hemming and hawing, I finally bit the bullet and joined an organic home-delivery fruit and produce service. It's awesome, and completely worth it. However, it means that I have to keep on top of my cooking. With this week's box scheduled to arrive this afternoon, I needed to clear out the remaining pieces of last week's score. That meant finding a use for some broccoli.

Seeing that I was also craving one of my super-delicious elk burgers, I decide to pair the two. I somehow knife-wrestled a patty from the frozen pile without losing a finger, and then grabbed the green stuff. The broccoli was fried until soft, and then set on the cheeseburger with some Kozlik's blonde mustard (so good), tomato, and mayonnaise. Teamed with some fries seasoned with ground anardana (pomegranate), smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and this was the best burger and fries that I've had in eons.

What's your favorite unlikely burger topping?

Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries, a D.C.-based chain that has garnered rave reviews up and down the East Coast recently entered the New York metro area. I visited their Queens location and, despite Five Guy's obsession with cooking all their meat well done, I found the burger quite good.

The Guys recently opened a shop in Hackensack, N.J. Now here's where it starts to get interesting. Überblogger Jason Perlow reports that Burger Boys, an independent joint, has also set up shop in nearby Fairview. They copied Five Guys' menu format. No big deal, right? But that's just the tip of intellectual property rights infringement iceberg. Rather than give these con artists any free advertising, I chose a pic of the Five Guys ordering area from Perlow's site. The shots he took of Burger Boys are pretty shocking.

How shocking you ask? Let's put it this way. Burger Boys didn't stop at copying the Five Guys' menu. They also lovingly reproduced the Guys' interior design, presentation of the food in brown paper bags and its insistence on cooking everything well done. I almost forgot, the Boys dress their staff in red T-shirts and hats, just like the Guys. I'd love to think that this is merely some confluence of East Coast burger synergy, but clearly it's a simple case of out-and-out theft of the Five Guys' concept.

Over the past few years McDonald's has faced some pretty tough criticism about the quality of their food. In fact, the movie 'Super Size Me' single-handedly changed how many of us view the fast food giant - or more accurately, the fast food industry as a whole. Now, in what has to be an attempt at clearing their name from some of the negative publicity, McDonald's has hired six "Quality Correspondent" mothers to visit the supplier facilities, restaurants, kitchens, and attend development meetings - then blog about their experiences.

Really though, it seems pretty transparent. Can you honestly imagine any other outcome from this than the mothers going to visit the various facilities, seeing everyone on their best behavior with everything running smoothly, then undoubtedly rave about how wonderful McDonald's really is? I'd say ask any 15-year old who has ever worked there if you really want to know what goes on.

Personally, I'd love to just see them finally admit what they really are and roll with it. Stop trying to convince us you are healthy. Admit we probably shouldn't eat there five times a week, but it is a good place to indulge every once in a while. I love stopping in at McDonald's once every month or so to enjoy something a little sinful, something that isn't good for me, something that cures my craving for grease and fat and calories. I don't want their salads or their wraps - I want a Big Mac. I want fries with extra salt and McChicken Sauce on the side for dipping. I want a Sausage and Egg McMuffin with TWO sides of hash brown patties. I just don't want it everyday.

If they would just admit that they were a little bit naughty, I'd love them just a little bit more.

Not wanting to be outdone by their competitors, Wendy's has announced that they will be improving the flavor and quality of their coffee in the near future. The fast-food chain plans to launch the new product, to be marketed as Wendy's Custom Bean, along with their new breakfast menu in select markets later this year.

Apparently the chief exec and president of Wendy's, Kerri Anderson, wants to make Wendy's "a destination for coffee". I do have to wonder - is yet another place to go drink coffee what we, as consumers, really need or want?

I suggest improving the fries, instead.

Really, when you look at Shrek, what is the first thing that comes to mind? His svelte figure? His healthy glow? His lovely umm...green skin? Though he may not exactly be the poster child for healthy living, McDonald's nonetheless chose him to lead their latest campaign, promoting the healthier choices they now offer to kids on their regular menu and in Happy Meals.

Shrek, Donkey, and other characters from the movie will apparently try to convince your kids to choose apple slices and salads rather than fries and burgers, and milk rather than soda. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not entirely convinced that even Shrek has the power to make kids want apples slices rather than salty, crispy, golden fries - but it is a step in the right direction at least.

It's official. New York City has become the first in the nation to ban the use trans-fats at restaurants. The members of the Board of Health voted unanimously for the ban and heath advocates are already applauding the decision. Restaurants will have until July 2007 to switch to trans-fat free frying oils - meaning that all french fries in the city, as well as other fried foods will have to be trans-fat free by that time - and will have until July 2008 to remove all trans-fats from their food.

Trans-fats, which have been called "chemical abominations" by some health officials, are known to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, changes which can contribute to an increased risk of heart disease. According to FDA estimates, "the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year" in spite of the reductions that food processors have made with their use. They are favored in the restaurant and food processing industries because they are easy to work with, have a long shelf life and can increase the shelf life of foods that use them.

Sometimes, wolfing down a shred of ham between two slices of wheat bread from your left hand while starting the car with your right hand is all you have time for as you're rushing to your afternoon meeting.

But there are times when we take a moment. We use the good china, we "plate" our sandwiches, maybe we light a candle or two, and we sit down and really enjoy our sandwiches. When that's the case, we usally have something alongside our sandwich to round out the meal. Alright, so even if you don't bother with the candles, you're still going to have something on the side, right? Here are eight sandwich sides, some favorite, others not so much:

1. Dill Pickle - Simple, both to prepare and to eat.
   
2. Potato chips - This is a no-brainer. I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that a huge percentage of sandwiches are eaten as part of a sack lunch, so a bag of potato chips goes right along with it. As far as what kind of potato chips are the best, though? We don't want to get into that whole discussion, now do we? However, I will say that it would be pretty cool to match a non-traditional, slightly more exotic sandwich with some of the global flavors out there, like cilantro-lime potato chips with your banh mi.

A few weeks ago, we took a peek at some of the world's largest pizzas, and while this pizza might not qualify for that list, it definitely deserves a title of its own. It is one of the most bizarre pizzas that I have ever seen: the Aussie Hangover Cure. It should have been called the McCheeseburger Pizza. The pizza not only has four McDonald's cheeseburgers topping it, but an entire order of large french fries, both under and on top of the burgers, as well as bacon, cheese and tomato sauce. I won't hazard a guess as to the calorie content, but it's safe to say that it is a lot. And as for it acting as a hangover cure? It strikes me as something you might eat the night before you wake up with a hangover, not something you'd crave in the morning.

Family-oriented attractions, including theme parks and fairs, are "failing to provide healthy food" says a report that sent a "secret mum" to visit 14 tourist attractions around the UK. She found their food lacking, offering primarily burgers and fried foods. To the average fair or park-goer this is no surprise, but some are expressing concern over the fact that they are unable to find healthy options for their children at such venues. How, they wonder, can they provide healthy foods to their children in such an environment?

The theme parks are the ones who respond with a voice of reason, saying that visits are generally special occasions, not once-a-week events. A burger and fries is not going to irreversibly set your child down the path to obesity, but if your concern is too great, there is always the option to pack a few healthy nutrition-type bars and eat a full meal after you leave.

We're not stupid. Sometimes we pretend or choose to ignore the fat in foods from McDonald's and KFC, but we know those evil trans fats are in there.

However, what you might not have known is that the trans fat content in French fries and fried chicken from McDonald's and KFC is higher in the US than in their counterparts in other countries. Researchers studied the trans fat content of foods at locations around the world and were surpised by how much variation there was for restaurants that are supposed to be standard from location to location. There were even differences among restaurants in the same city.

The differences come from the type of frying oil that is being used - partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is high in trans fast (and is also cheaper). At a New York City McDonald's, a large fries-and-chicken-nuggets combo had 10.2 g of trans fat, Spain, Russia and the Czech Republic had a mere 3 g, and Denmark nuggets and fries came in the lowest at 0.33 g of trans fat.

After disclosing that its fries contain more trans fat than the nutritional information claimed, McDonald's revealed that their frence fries also contain potential allergens from dairy and wheat. The fries had always been considered to be safe for customers with a gluten intolerance, as the suppliers of the potatoes remove all potential allergens before shipping them, but the flavoring agent that McDonald's uses has derrivatives of both wheat and milk ingredients.

The revelation comes following the laws passed at the beginning of the year which require companies to disclose potential allergens, including eggs, nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. The director of nutrition at the company says that proteins found in the wheat and dairy are what cause allergic reactions and that they are not present in the flavoring agent. She also notes that if you have been eating the french fries without experiencing an allergic reaction, you will be able to continue to do so.

Even if it does not affect those with allergies, vegetarians may be concerned that the fries contain ingredients derived from dairy.