Spicy Seasoned Shoestring Potatoes

These can make a great side dish or snack.

1 pound of fresh or frozen shoestring potatoes
oil for frying
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder

Heat the deep fryer or skillet with about an inch of oil. In the meantime, mix the spices together in dish with a lid (or even in a plastic zip-lock bag). Fry the potatoes until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove and drain the potatoes on paper towels. Put the potatoes into the spice container (or bag) and shake until they are coated with the spice mixture. Remove and shake off excess spices. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Twin-This word, related to several other words, including "twine" (string, thread), goes back to Indo European "dwoh/dwah/duwo," which meant "two." From this developed "dwinho,"  which had the notion of "two of the same, double." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "twinjaz," which had the similar notion of "by twos, double." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "twinn" (twin, double) and also "getwinn" (twins, doubles). This then became "twynne," before the modern form. Forms in the other Germanic languages: German "Zwilling" (meaning "twin;" lost the "n," as the root was previously spelled "zwine/zwini"), ^ Low German Saxon "Twilling" (twin), Dutch "tweeling" (twin), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian "tvilling" (twin) and Icelandic "tvenna" (pair). I could not find a form in modern Frisian, but it once had "twine" (the ending "e" was pronounced "eh").  

^ As with German, many of the Germanic languages lost the "n." The "ling" ending is a common Germanic ending, sometimes, but not always, used as a diminutive (making something small or dear). Examples: as a diminutive in "darling," but non diminutive in "sprawling."