Old Bay Oven Baked Cottage Fries
Old Bay Cottage Fries- Extra crispy oven baked fries tossed in iconic Old Bay seasoning. Savory, slightly spicy and full of flavor these cottage style fries are based off of a South Florida favorite.

While living in our RV full time we have been fortunate enough to live in some great southern cities. Our first stop ( and one of our favorites ) was West Palm Beach, FL. At the time, some of my family was living in the area so we were able to experience a lot of places as the locals would. That included all the best restaurants!
One of our favorite spots was a place called Jupiter Bar & Grill. It was a super casual restaurant with outdoor seating directly on the ocean. There was live music by the bar and even a swimming pool in the middle. This is where I was first introduced to Old Bay seasoned fries. The longer we lived there, I noticed even the high end beach restaurants offered that savory seasoning for French fries. They quickly became one of my favorite things.
When I set out to make these delicious fries at home, I decided to combine the south Florida favorite with another favorite from my home town- cottage fries. These thin and crispy oven baked fries are salty and delicious; I know you’ll love them too!
So let’s get into it.
How to make Old Bay cottage fries
Gather the ingredients
These cottage style fries are easy and delicious! I like to use large russet potatoes for this recipe because they are easiest to cut thin. You could definitely cut these potatoes into round discs and make them more traditional cottage fries if you prefer. However, if you love crispy fries as much as we do, I highly recommend trying this style of fry. They are addictively delicious!
Russet potatoes
Olive oil- You will need a little oil to help crisp up the fries after they have dried out.
Old Bay seasoning
Garlic powder- I love the addition of garlic on fries.
What is Old Bay seasoning? Typically this seasoning is used to season seafood. It’s an essential component in a shrimp or crawfish boil but can always be used as an all purpose seasoning. It’s a savory season blend with celery salt, paprika and mustard as the main flavor but has a total of 18 herbs and spices; making it a strong flavor that will compliment many of your summer cookout recipes.
These fries are pretty simple to make. The most important step is allowing the cut potatoes to “dry out”; so leave yourself a little bit of time before dinner to do this!
Step 1: Clean and cut the potatoes
Wash each russet potato to remove any dirt from the skin. Then, with a sharp knife, carefully cut each potato into thin slices lengthwise. I like to cut them in about 1/8” to 1/4” slices.
Step 2: Dry out the potato slices
Lay the cut potatoes out on a large cutting board in a single layer. Let the potatoes rest for about 30 minutes. They will release a lot of starchy liquid during this time- this is what we want!

Step 3: Season and bake
After about 30 minutes, take a paper towel and dry off the potato slices on both sides. Add them to a large sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and the Old Bay seasoning and garlic powder. Toss them gently and then arrange the slices on the sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes flipping the potatoes half way through baking.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

The secret to crispy oven baked fries
Don’t overcrowd the pan! It’s important to have enough room on the pan when baking. If you have to, bake the fries in two batches so you get that crispy bite you’re looking for.
What are cottage fries?
Typically cottage fries are thick round cuts of potatoes that are either fried in oil or oven baked. They usually don’t have much crispiness to them but more of soft potato center. Based off of popular restaurant in our home town, I’ve chosen to cut the potatoes lengthwise instead and slightly thinner so there will be more of a crispy edge. Sooo addictive!
Looking for more summer inspired recipes?
Sweet Potato Fry Salad with Hot Honey Mustard
Steps for the Perfect Summer Charcuterie
Before you go, if you make these Old Bay Cottage Fries, rate and/or comment down below. I’d love to hear what you think!

Old Bay Cottage Oven Fries
Ingredients
- 3-4 large russet potatoes
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1- 1 1/2 TBSP Old Bay Seasoning you may need more depending on the size of potatoes
- 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
Instructions
- Start by washing the skin on your potatoes. Then with a sharp knife, cut the potato in thin slices lengthwise. I like to cut them about 1/4 inch thick.
- Once the potatoes are sliced, lay them in a single layer on a cutting board. Let the potatoes sit for about 30 minutes to “dry out”. The potato will release a lot of starchy water during this time- this is what we want!
- After the potatoes have sat for the 30 minutes, dry both sides with a paper towel to remove all of the starchy liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.Add the sliced potatoes to a large sheet pan and toss with olive oil, old bay and garlic powder.
- Arrange the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on the sheet pan. *It’s important to have plenty of room on the sheet pan to achieve crispy fries! If needed, bake the fries in two batches.*
- Bake the fries for 15-20 minutes and give them a toss. Bake for another 15 minutes until crispy.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!

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