Almost everyone loves french fries. In fact, the average American eats 40 pounds of fries per year, according to researchers at the University of California Davis. You can satisfy your craving just about anywhere: fast food chains, dine-in restaurants or even at home.

While there is some dispute about its beginnings, most historians agree french fries, despite their name, originated in Belgium in the 17th century. American soldiers discovered them during World War I after thinking they were in France when, in reality, they were in a French-speaking Belgian province. There is even a fry museum, The Frietmuseum, in Bruges, Belgium.

Today, fries come cut into all sorts of shapes and sizes: standard, waffle, thick-cut, curly, steak, shoestring, crinkle-cut, sweet potato, wedge and smilies, among them.

My nonna and I love cooking together. She has taught me that cooking from scratch can be cost-effective, easy and, most importantly, fun. Over Fall Break, Nonna and I made fries, one of my favorite things to cook, especially when I am craving that saltiness.

We began by cutting up two brown potatoes in the shapes of small semi-circles, or little wedges.

We turned the burner on to medium heat, added about one cup of vegetable oil to a medium-sized pan and let the potatoes fry until they were golden brown.

While the potatoes were cooking, we cut up some green and red peppers and added them to the same pan. This took about seven to eight minutes.

After the potatoes were golden brown and the peppers were cooked, we put them on a plate and added some salt and pepper for seasoning.

The smell of the potatoes and the peppers always makes my mouth water. It makes such a simple and easy snack or a side to a meal that always hits the spot.

Ingredients for Nonna’s Homemade Fries:
2 brown potatoes, cut into small wedges
1 cup of vegetable (pure canola) oil, added to medium-sized frying pan
1 green pepper, cut up
1 red pepper, cut up
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for cooking:

Add the oil to the bottom of a medium-sized frying pan so that it covers the surface. After letting the oil heat, add the sliced potato wedges into the pan. Let them cook for several minutes.

Next, add the green and red peppers into the pan and let flavors meld together. Flip the fries and let them cook until they become golden brown. Remove the fries and peppers from the pan when they are.