Homemade Ketchup with French Fries

Keeping with the theme of summery, fun foods...I got to thinking about making things that I simply buy or have around the house myself. I got to day dreaming about the Teryiaki Tofu Sandwich and how wonderful it would be with a side of fries and some really good ketchup. And then I stopped at ketchup...what really is it? what goes into it? I was sure I could make my own if I did a bit of research. Low and behhold, there is a wide range of things that claim to be ketchup. After a bit of experimenting on my own, I found a blend of things that I thought made the most amazing ketchup ever. And I was left wondering why I mindlessly buy staples like ketchup when making them myself is fun, easy to do and you control everything that goes into it. This means that you get to custom make a ketchup that is right for your taste buds! (Side Note: I am obsessed with ketchup, love it, ever have since I can remember and always will.)

For the ketchup:
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
1/3 c. chili, I used aneheim
1 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vinegar

1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp whole cloves (4 - 5 pieces)
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp all spice


Tie all of the last 6 spices into a bouquet garni, which is simply a fancy shmancy term for using a cheese cloth to make a little spice bag. That way your spices meld with whatever you are cooking, but then you can easily remove the whole thing too without fishing for each item. I simply used another strip of the cheese cloth to use to tie the bag closed. What you will have will looks somewhat like in the picture below. A little present of flavor yumminess.


Super, and now onto the next step. Add your tomatoes to a medium sauce pot, along with your spice bag and all of the other ingredients. It will look chunky and nothing like ketchup until the end, so no worries yet! Let this cook on medium heat for 45 minutes. The sauce of the tomatoes melding with all of the flavors will weirdly taste like hot ketchup, which is a strange thing. You totally get the ketchup flavor, but in a soup form! Awesome, right?

Let this cool slightly, as the next step requires the food processor. And as we all know (...or just me...from experience) hot things in the food processor can lead to an explosion of food. Not good. So let this cool a few, process in small batches while pulsing the processor until smooth.

Now, return all of this to your sauce pot again, and cook for another 30 - 40 minutes to let the mixture reduce down. Let cool, and keep refrigerated.


Now go make some fries to enjoy with your very own batch of ketchup! This just might change your life....or you just might make it on special occasions. Either way, you can't deny how good it is!

Lucky for you....french fries is next on my list. 'Cause fries and ketchup are made to be together forever and ever.

What you need for the fries:
5 - 6 russet potatoes
olive oil
salt/peppers to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, wash and peel your potatoes. Cut and slice into thin (or thicker) slices, depending on your preference of fry styles.

I actually got this really neat contraption where I place whatever I want to slice into the contraption, push on the handle, and nice, neat, even slices come out! It is another thing that motivated me to start this whole fries and ketchup thing, I really wanted to use it again! While on the subject of kitchen tools, you are either going to need the best non-stick baking sheet in the world, or a Silpat mat. I have tried several ways to get fries not to stick to my non-stick baking sheet without success until I was introduced to the amazingness of Silpat mats.


Here is a view of my fries on the Silpat mat. I poured about 2 tbsp. olive oil into a small dish, and used a brush to coat the fries. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other flavors that strike your fancy. I fit about 3 potatoes worth of cut fries per sheet, so I got 2 batches made total which was plenty to share with another person.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip all the fries for even baking, and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

Now go eat fries with your very own ketchup!!!