Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ketchup with CopyKat McD's French Fries

Whoever said, "Everything in moderation, including moderation" was my kind of person! Even I get a hankering for ketchup and fries now and again, and this recipe for CopyKat McD's French Fries will have you swearing your kitchen turned into your local drive-thru! And I must say, I think ketchup has been given the short-end of the stick when it comes culinary makeovers. If you're going to the trouble of making homemade french fries, you might as well dress-up the tired old bottle of ketchup in your fridge (and earn new food exposure credit with your Small Fries) by adding a healthy dose of roasted strawberries and balsamic glaze. YUM!

It's important to note that this recipe works best with a "premium" ketchup like Sir Kensington's Brand because I believe it's what ketchup was always meant to taste like, vs. the overly sugary-high-fructose- corn syrup varieties. There is a certain level of "tomato-y depth" in premium ketchup that you totally miss in a cheap bottle of the stuff you can get for under $2.00. If you are using regular bottle-o ketchup, that is totally OK, I would omit the additional strawberry preserves since you won't need the added sweetness.

As for the McD's CopyKat French Fries recipe, I must admit it is not the quickest method to make fries at home. But, in my experience, it is THE BEST. Your patience will be rewarded for persevering thru three separate cooking steps including not one, but TWO trips into the hot oil. The cooking process starts with a quick par-boil in a salty/vinegary water which guarantees your fries will come out tender with a pillow-like softness in the center, and the almost cult-like following for double frying yields a perfectly crisp and non-greasy texture.

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