If you hafta eat those frozen spuds............

...............whether it's shoestrings, steak fries, curley fries, or tater tots,
put 'em on the flat sheet and zip 'em up with your favorite blend;
Mexican seasoning, Italian seasoning
or Cajun seasoning ......
and bake or broil per instructions on the bag

Ya know, the only frozen spud I've ever had in house was frozen sweet potato fries. I love, love, love then. Occasionally sprinkle with some kind of concoction, as I don't use ketchup or anything with them.
I've never had "plain" potatoes in the house.
Mom ruined that thought for me. She couldn't get them right,
no way, no how my whole life. The were DEAD. They were either
soggy/wilted and raw tasting, or dried beyond belief.
I like to have them from scratch, but don't make them often.
So this is one thing I like to have when I go out if I see other
diner's plates and they look good.

Could/would you recommend a well-known frozen brand that's
a pretty sure bet?

Most of the brands you can get in good super markets are OK really. We keep a bag of Cajun Fries for when the grand kids come over. Once in a while I will do up a small batch for a snack with some malt vinegar. Most of the time I make my own fries from scratch. I do have a deep fryer so it is fairly easy to get them crisp. The secret to that is to fry them at about 325 for about 3 minutes or just till potatoes are tender, then remove them to paper towels.

Once there then turn up the oil to about 375 and return the par fried potatoes to the oil and cook for about 4 minutes or till crispy and golden brown. Season as soon as you take them out of the oil. I use peanut oil but vegetable or canola will work fine too.

I really enjoy Trader Joes frozen fries....sweet potato and wedges...very nice flavor and texture!

Frozen steak-cut fries aren't too bad. I get them when I make Reubens.

I love tater tots once in a while, and frozen cubed hash browns can be used to make a good casserole. That's all I use from the frozen potato department.
I really don't mind slicing and chopping potatoes.