Fall Fries

Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season. Aside from the return of football, basketball, and hockey, Fall brings the World Series…and my favorite veggies of the year. (Yes, I did just combine the World Series and veggies in one sentence. It wasn’t easy, I assure you). I love zucchini, squashes, green leafies, and above all…pumpkin! Mmm!

I’ve been tinkering a lot in the kitchen and I’m kind of sick of French fries, tater tots, or even chips as sides to my burgers and sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tater tot (especially sweet potato ones). But I wanted something seasonal, lighter, different, but still crunchy and tasty.

I had a flashback to an unbelievable meal I had in Positano, Italy years and years ago. (My memory may be spotty, hit-or-miss even, but I always remember every detail of a good meal)! Anyway, in my flashback, I had the lightest, most delicious zucchini string fries at this meal in Italy. So I thought…ok…I recently bought myself a French fry maker (so I don’t have to cut my fries by hand because I can be lazy)…what if I stuck a zucchini through that?! Well what do you know? I got myself zucchini fries (minus the fry). Pretty cool.

What follows is a “French Fry” recipe for zucchini (or you can use potatoes or sweet potatoes or whatever else you’d like). My suggestion is to offer these as a side at your fangate™ or even set out a big ol’ basket of ’em with a ramekin of my lemon parsley mayo as an appetizer. They’d really work either way! They’re crunchy, make for good munchies, and munchies are always good during a game!

Zucchini Tempura Fries
A New, Healthier Spin on French Fries

Ingredients

Fries
3 medium-sized Zucchinis, sliced into French Fry-like slices (use a fry slicer to help you)*
¾ cup Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour (or Brown Rice Flour for gluten-free)
¾ teaspoon Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ cup Water
1 Egg, slightly beaten
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Lemon Parsley Mayo
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup avocado oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley

*If you prefer to use sweet potatoes or even regular potatoes, go for it. Just try to keep veggie measurements the same so you have enough batter!

Preparation

I like to make my fries in my Philips Airfryer.* But if you don’t have an Airfryer, no worries, use an oven. If you are using an oven, preheat it to 425 degrees F.

*I have also made these in a proper fryer and they turn out extra great (and super light and crispy). If you’re going to fry them in a fryer, do so at 375 degrees F and use safflower oil. Safflower oil has a very high heat point and it’s far better for you than Canola/veggie oil — it has high levels of good (monounsaturated) fat and vitamin E!

To Make your Batter
Combine your cornstarch, flour, baking powder, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix well. Then add in your water and egg and whisk until you’ve got yourself a smooth batter.

Coat your zucchini sticks in the batter and set aside.

Cover the bottom of your Airfryer in baking/parchment paper and then place your zucchini fries on there. Feel free to lay down one layer, top with the accompanying roasting rack and top with more fries. (You can also do a couple batches).

Cook in your Airfryer at 360 degrees F for 10–20 minutes, until the fries are crispy. (You can cook at 390 degrees, but I find that if you lower the temperature and cook for a little longer, you get a better crisp).

Serve with a ramekin of your lemon mayo dip and enjoy!

**If you don’t have an Airfryer, fear not! Cover a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper and lay your fries in a single layer on the sheet. Bake your fried in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Serve with the mayo!

To Make Your Lemon Parsley Mayo
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except for your avocado oil until they are well blended (about 1 minute). I like to use a handheld mixer or a standup mixer.

Continue to whisk as you slowly (slowly!) pour in your oil, a little at a time. (You won’t get the mayo texture if you pour in too much oil at once). Continue to pour in your oil little by little as you whisk. You will notice the color of the mayo change and the consistency get fluffier. Once it has reached a consistency you like, you’re done!