During my senior year of college, I lived in a house down by the beach with three of my friends. My school was in southern Rhode Island, and all of the houses that were beach rentals during the summer months became housing for the college kids during the year. We were so lucky; not only were we within walking distance of the beach, but we had a ton of space – our own rooms, a yard, plenty of parking and a big kitchen. It was the first time we didn’t have the dining halls on campus to fall back on, and though I really wasn’t much of a cook at the time, we always had the best time grocery shopping and trying to put meals together.
Though that said, like most college kids we still picked up our fair share of take-out. One of my favorite splurges was always the potato wedges at KFC. I have a soft spot for potatoes in pretty much any form, but those spicy, crunchy wedges were just completely irresistible. We’d always bring our take-out home, gather in the living room and watch Jeopardy while we ate. Does that make us huge nerds??
I can’t remember the last time I had those potato wedges so when I saw a copycat recipe for them, it was a no-brainer that I needed to try it. It’s time like these I’m so glad I’ve gotten over my fear of frying 🙂 And yes, these are definitely a splurge but I’d gladly skip dessert all month to justify them. They’re even better than the wedges I loved in college! So unbelievably crunchy and really flavorful – the spice mixture even has a bit of cayenne pepper in it which gives them a touch of heat. Shane loved them too – in fact when I recently mentioned I wanted to blog them but didn’t really love the pictures, he was ready to jump in the kitchen and help me make another batch that night. I made do with the shots I already had, so we didn’t, but it was oh so tempting.
Copycat KFC Crispy Potato Wedges
from Cook’s Country, February/March 2007
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large russet potatoes (about 1 3/4 lb), scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Add first six ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Combine the potato wedges with 4 teaspoons of the spice mixture and 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Toss to coat, then cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until the potatoes are tender (but not falling apart), about 7-9 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, shake the bowl to redistribute the potatoes (don’t take off the plastic wrap to do this). Remember, all microwaves vary, so your cooking time may be slightly shorter or longer. Very carefully remove the plastic wrap – the steam released will be very hot. Drain the potatoes, then spread on a rimmed baking sheet and allow to cool, about 10 minutes. (You can let the potatoes sit for up to 2 hours at this point.)
Add about 2 inches of oil to a large Dutch oven set over high heat. Heat until the oil comes to 340 F. Meanwhile, add the buttermilk and baking soda to one large bowl, and combine the cornstarch and flour in a second bowl. Dredge the wedges in the flour mixture, then dip in the buttermilk and finally back into the flour mixture. Shake off excess at every step, then transfer the wedges to a wire rack placed inside of a rimmed baking sheet. (You can coat the potatoes up to 30 minutes in advance.)
When oil reach temperature, fry the wedges in two batches, letting each cook until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes (be sure to let the oil come back to temperature before adding the second batch). When the wedges come out of the oil, transfer them to a large bowl and toss each batch with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Remove from the bowl to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
sweet fancy moses, these look DELICIOUS! definitely pinning to try soon – thanks!
These are amazing pictures! I can’t believe you thought otherwise. I wish my less than perfect pictures were like yours! 🙂
I love these, what a fun post, Tracey. They do look exactly like the real thing!
KFC used to be my favorite place ever! That is until I found out how bad that stuff was for you. No worries though because now I can make these gorgeous potato wedges! Jason and I are fry fanatics so he is going to be thrilled when I make this for him!
oh my goodness I am completely salivating!!
oh NO you didn!!! and i’m SO glad you did! i love kfc’s wedges and am pretty excited to try these! =D
These were great, I’m all for having them a lot more often! Thanks for making them!
I am so excited about this!! I LOVE those KFC wedges, and potatoes in general. You can bet your butt I’ll be trying these soon!
I secretly (or not so secretly now) love those potato wedges too! I haven’t had them in easily 12+ years but I remember them being amazing so I clearly need to try these.
Oh my goodness! I haven’t been to KFC in about 15 years, so making this at home would be a real treat! GREAT recipe!
Ooooh, those are my favorite! I can’t remember the last time I had them which obviously means I need to try this recipe. They look just like KFC’s! And I’m totally jealous that you lived in a beach house during college.
wow this is awesome! I love potatoes just as much as you do and these copycat versions look dead-on!! I wish I was walking distance to a beach when I was in college..I was walking distance to some chicken and dog feed factories 😉
I’m glad I’m not the only who loves KFC’s potato wedges. They are just darn good with ranch dressing. I’m still a little fearful of frying, mostly because I tend to make such a mess. But these look like they’d be worth the mess!
Eating takeout while watching Jeopardy definitely doesn’t make you a nerd! Sounds like a great night to me haha. The KFC potato wedges are so good, almost as good as their mashed potatoes. If these really taste like the real thing, I need to try them!
These look so darn good – your pictures are awesome!
Mmm, I love potatoes in any form. =) I usually avoid frying (just because I don’t want to deal with the mess), but these might be worth it.
Oh I absolutely love this! KFC reminds me of college, too!! My freshman year, a girl who lived a few doors down in the dorm worked part-time at KFC. When she worked the night shift she’d bring back all the leftovers and there would be 6 of girls sitting in the middle of the dorm hallway at 1:30am eating leftover fried chicken, these potatoes and chocolate cake. I could take or leave the chicken and cake, but I’ve always LOVED those potatoes. I can’t wait to make these!! Thanks for reminding me of such fun memories!
These fries look so dang tasty my god! I’m not into fast food anymore but I do remember the taste of those potato wedges. If I could have s potato in any form it would definitely be in a wedge form.
I think these photos look just fine. In fact, the fries look exactly like those from KFC. YUM!
These potato wedges are my favorite!
You live on the beach, how awesome is that?! These potatoes look perfect, super crispy just like they are supposed to be.
I love copycat recipes and these really look good. I’ll have to try this recipe. Thanks for the post.
Great post!! very informative.
Thank you very much for such a lovely and informative post.
Engineering college in Jaipur
Yum, that looks awesome!
I am 19 weeks pregnant and have been having KFC cravings – these are on my “to-try” list this weekend! 🙂
i wonder if this would work with sweet potatoes? yum!
We made these last night and they were great! We used Canola oil and almond milk…no buttermilk in the fridge. They were still great and the oil stayed in the pan. I had zero splatter! Just saying’ for those who didn’t want the mess! They are amazing left over too! Thank you Tracy:-)