Oven "Fried" Potato Wedges w/ Balsamic Ketchup

it's good to be bad...

For this rainbow series, given my New Year's resolution to eat better, I'm lightening up some of my favorite comfort foods. It's important to still be able to enjoy some of what I consider comfort or "bad" foods like fries, pasta, and dessert. All in moderation. So, for this series, I'll be lightening up and highlighting the nutrients in each one of these dishes. First, I'm tackling the fry....

There is one easy way to bring down the calorie and fat count with fries and that's to bake them. And while I do this, I'm also taking my potato wedges a few steps further by making them good for you. First, I'm using 3 types of potatoes: red, yellow, and sweet. These varieties have many more benefits compared to the usual russet potato, such as iron, vitamins C/A/B5/B6, thiamin, and much more. Specifically, sweet potatoes contain carotenoids which help fight against disease and promote eye health. Secondly, I'm leaving the skins on the potatoes. That's where so many of the vitamins live and traditional fries strip us of those nutrients. Finally, I'm serving these potato wedges with a balsamic ketchup. Balsamic vinegar is high in antioxidants and it cuts down on the high sugar level found in most ketchups. I think I've given plenty of health reasons to make these fries, but I should also mention, they are tasty! So, make these with dinner tonight, here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Potato Wedges
4-5 Small Red Skin Potatoes
4-5 Small Yellow Skin Potatoes
2 Small Sweet Potatoes
2-3 T Canola Oil
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
Cooking Spray
3 T Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 T Fresh Thyme, chopped

Balsamic Ketchup
1/4 C Ketchup
2-3 T Balsamic Vinegar
2-3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Clean the potatoes by scrubbing and drying them well. Cut into wedges, making sure each is about the same size. Put them in a bowl, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt. Spray the prepared baking sheets with cooking spray. Evenly distribute the potatoes on the two trays. Be sure to give the wedges space so that they can cook on all sides (and don't steam). Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the Parmesan cheese and thyme together in a small bowl. Once the potatoes have finished cooking on the first side, flip each fry, and sprinkle with the cheese mixture. Put back into the oven and finish cooking, about 10 more minutes.

As the fries finish cooking, make the balsamic ketchup. In a small bowl combine the ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Set aside.

Serve the fries immediately with the balsamic ketchup. We enjoyed ours with turkey burgers (yep, still working toward eating more poultry this year too). Sometimes, it can be good to be bad. Enjoy!