Frozen oven chips are a convenient go-to for a quick midweek meal, yet they can often turn out remarkably bland. It's also surprisingly easy to get the cooking time wrong, leaving you with either undercooked or overdone results that are hard and lacking in flavour.
While making chips from scratch is perfectly straightforward, keeping a bag in the freezer is ideal for those nights when time is short. Although the temptation is to toss them straight into the air fryer or oven, taking a few extra minutes to add a few extra ingredients can make a notable difference to both texture and taste.
Five-minute spiced fries recipe
Tesco shared the recipe on their website, which takes just five minutes to prepare. The recipe notes said: "These aren't just any oven fries, they're covered in an array of tangy and exciting flavours. Enjoy a little lift from the herbs and spices, then bake them until golden and crisp."
The ingredients are 500g of frozen oven chips, vegetable oil, half a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a quarter teaspoon of sea salt flakes, half a teaspoon of dried rosemary, and a quarter teaspoon of garlic granules.
Method for crispy, golden chips
Spread the oven chips across a large baking tray and drizzle with vegetable oil. Then scatter over the smoked paprika, sea salt flakes, dried rosemary and garlic granules. For those who prefer a bit of heat, add a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Toss the frozen chips thoroughly to ensure every chip is evenly coated in the spice mixture, then cook according to the packet instructions. The vegetable oil will help achieve a gloriously golden, crispy finish, while the four-ingredient spice blend adds a wonderfully rich depth of flavour.
This technique works equally well in an air fryer, should the packet instructions permit it. The circulating hot air may well produce an even crunchier result.
Making chips from scratch
If you have the time to make chips from scratch, Maris Piper potatoes are your best option, using around 350g for two people. Boil them for three minutes, then leave to steam-dry for five minutes before transferring to a baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt, then bake in a 220°C/200°C Fan oven for 18 to 20 minutes, turning them over and baking for a further eight minutes.
For sweet potato fries, there is no need to rinse them, though Tesco recommends tossing them in a little olive oil, sugar, and salt prior to baking to enhance the flavour.
