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Yum yum. Try these oven-baked fries from the May 2007 Bon Appétit. The key is a spice that is sprinkled on - shichimi togarashi. It is a Japanese table seasoning that has dried chiles, black sesame seeds, roasted orange peel, seaweed and ginger. I found it very easily in the Japanese food section at Berkeley Bowl. You also add some salt and sugar to the shichimi.......I repeat.......YUM. I looked for the recipe on Epicurious but it's not yet there so here you go:

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3 large baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs) peeled, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide planks, each plank cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt (actually-I would cut this in half-use 1/2 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi

1 teaspoon sugar

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Place rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place potato strips on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; toss to coat. Roast 25 minutes. Using spatula, turn fries over. Roast until tender and golden brown around edges, about 25 minutes longer.

Mix salt, shichimi, and sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle over fries.