Milk in French Fries? Yep.

I hate to admit this, but before going GFCF I rarely, if ever, looked at ingredients. I mean, sure, I’d casually glance at them and perhaps tisk-tisk when I saw the well-known offenders (like… MSG or… high fructose corn syrup).  But I had NO idea what I was ingesting. No idea that wheat and dairy were so prevalent. But I guess that’s what got me into this food allergy/sensitivity problem in the first place.

But since going GFCF more than 7 months ago I’ve read more labels, done more online searches and read more non-fiction books (cookbooks, alternative health books, allergy & intolerance books) than I’ve done in my entire life. Times two. And now I’m shocked at what I was ingesting. Shocked! By not only the chemicals but the strange combinations of “natural” ingredients that go into creating mass-produced, seemingly simple foods. Like French Fries. If you had asked me 7 months ago what could POSSIBLY go into creating french fries, there’s no way milk would’ve ever made it on my list. But there are SOOO many brands, both restaurant and grocery store, that contain dairy.

And I love french fries. I mean, LOVE them! I remember in high school I discovered that one of the diners on main street four blocks from the school would give me a HUGE plate of fries and a Coke for the same price as my school lunch wouldda cost. I ate there every day Sophmore year. Through rain or snow I would trudge those four blocks for my fix (what I wouldn’t give for THAT metabolism now!!).

So when I found out that I had to give up my bread (boo hoo!) and my cheese (Yikes!!), I consoled myself with “at least I still have my french fries.” I found several frozen brands of french fries that are GFCF (like Cascadian Farms). But more and more I’m finding that my newly sensitive system isn’t accepting even 100% GFCF foods if they’re too processed. What?! First no ice cream and cake and now no FRENCH FRIES?! I was despondent for days.

So today I’m taking the bull by the horns – or the fries by the oil – and I deciding to make my own. Yes folks, the Girl Who Never Cooked is now going to make her own fries from scratch. (Thank goodness a good friend got me a mandoline with fry cutter attachment for my birthday.) I went to Whole Foods this morning and got two pounds each of Yukon Gold potatoes and Sweet Potatoes. And tomorrow, on Sunday Cooking Day, I’m going to attempt to fry myself up some home cooked potatoey goodness.

I’ll post back to let you know how it goes. But in the meantime, while I’m adding tiny round oil burns to my BBQ-singed arms, if you have any tips on how to best make some yummy french fries or chips, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how you make your yummy potato treats!