Here’s a quick and clever way to make potato fries without a lot of peeling and cutting. Fingerling potatoes, if you are not familiar with them, are small potatoes with a long, narrow shape—hence their name. They come in several varieties; I like to use organic golden fingerlings like Russian Banana. These are ready, from start to finish, in about 20 minutes.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes

　　2 tablespoons light or extra virgin olive oil

　　Salt to taste

　　Paprika to taste (see Note)

　　

Step 1

Scrub the potatoes well. No need to peel them, but do cut away any overly dark or knobby spots, of which there should be few. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, which results in a short, chunky French-fry shape.

　　

Step 2

Place the potatoes in a nonstick skillet with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer steadily for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the potatoes can be pierced with a knife but are still quite firm. Drain any water from the skillet.

　　

Step 3

Drizzle in the olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and fry the potatoes, stirring frequently, until touched with golden brown on most sides, 5 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove from the heat and season with salt and paprika.

　　

nutrition information

Step 5

Calories: 145

　　

Step 6

Total Fat: 3g

　　

Step 7

Protein: 4g

　　

Step 8

Carbohydrates: 30g

　　

Step 9

Fiber: 3g

　　

Step 10

Sodium: 0mg

　　Cooks' Note

　　If you’d like a more exotic effect, try Spanish paprika, which has a smoky and more intense flavor than Hungarian sweet paprika.

　　Reprinted with permission from Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals by Nava Atlas. Copyright © 2008 by Nava Atlas. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Nava Atlas is the author of nine cookbooks, including The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, and Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband and two teenage sons (all vegans).