Sometimes it’s burger night. Sometimes it’s burger night and you want a salad. Sometimes it’s burger night and only fries will do because it’s burger night, goddammit. We understand.

Fear not the noble potato.

I don’t recommend a tuber-only diet à la the Irish Famine, but you should not be afraid to enjoy a potato once or twice per week, especially if it’s a starch your family can agree on. If you keep the skin on, when possible, you’ll retain the most fibre, and a well-prepared potato actually qualifies as a “slow-carb” that won’t spike your blood sugar.

Potatoes are root vegetables that absorb minerals and vitamins in order to supply the potato plant each spring — one medium potato contains almost half of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C and is rich in Vitamin B, folate, potassium, magnesium and iron.

These are some of the exact minerals emphasized in women’s vitamin and prenatal vitamin supplements. An entire medium red potato contains only 150 calories, about the same as a 2/3 cup serving of brown rice, and packs 5 grams of fibre and 5 grams of protein. BAM. Take that, potato haters.

Try this delicious and EASY red potato oven fry recipe for your next burger night or to brighten up boring old fish night. Funny hats might also help!

 Oven Baked Red Potato Fries

serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb red skin potatoes
• generous glug of extra virgin olive oil (3-4 tbsp.)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. each: dried oregano, thyme, rosemary
• 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
• generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Slice clean potatoes into wedges, no more than 1/2-inch thick, and dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel to remove all moisture.
3. Combine oil and spices in a large bowl; toss wedges into oil and coat evenly.
4. Bake 25 minutes, flipping halfway. Try not to eat them all before you make it to the table.

What goes perfectly with fries? Homemade chicken nuggets, of course!