Oven Fries

I got this recipe from The Best Vegetable Recipes and tweaked it a little bit. I've tried to make oven fries a few times and they've always come out a bit limp. These have a few extra steps, but each step is worth it.

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 by 1/2-inch lengths
• 5 teaspoons olive oil
• season salt and ground black pepper

1. Rinse the cut fries in a large bowl or colander under cold running water until the water turns from milky colored to clear.
2. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the oil on each of two rimmed baking sheets (I would recommend lining the sheets with foil. It took a while to get all the oil off the pan during cleaning). Use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly over the entire surface. Place both sheets in the oven (on the lower-middle and upper-middle racks) and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
3. Fit a large pot with a steamer basket and fill the pot with enough water to reach just below the bottom of the basket. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the potatoes to the basket. Cover and steam until the potatoes are glistening but still very firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the pot and spread them out in a single layer on two clean kitchen towels. Pat the potatoes dry using a third kitchen towel.
4. Toss the potatoes and remaining 4 teaspoons oil in a large bowl to coat. Season generously with season salt and pepper to taste and toss again to blend. Carefully remove one baking sheet from the oven and place half of the potatoes on the baking sheet so they are spread out and not touching each other. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and repeat the process using the second baking sheet and the remaining potatoes.
5. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown and have begun to puff, 25 to 30 minutes, reversing the baking sheets (from top to bottom) halfway through the baking time. Serve immediately.