Vegetable Fries
We’ve all fallen in love with sweet potato fries, substituting them at every opportunity when we eat out, feeling virtuous as we make the switch. The matchstick thins of sweet potato are very tempting, but they don’t stand alone as the only baked alternative to potato fries. Vegetable fries are a great way to add variety to your sides.
Crispy Dukkah Squash Fries
There’s a sweetness to baked fries that you don’t get from regular chips. Be inventive, play with carrots, mushrooms, green beans courgettes and parsnips. Get adventurous with plantains, yucca or jicama. Add panko breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, dukkah, parmesan or spices. Chop your veg into fine matchsticks or chunky wedges, liberally slather in the crispy stuff and bake. When they’re steaming hot, straight from the oven, dip in harissa mayo, hummus, sweet chilli sauce or just plain old ketchup. What could be better?
To Make harissa mayo add harissa paste to bought mayo 1 teaspoon at a time until the heat and smokiness is to your taste. Top with a little more if you want the occasional blast of heat.
RECIPE
Vegetable Fries
Sesame Parsnip And Courgette/Zucchini Fries
- 500g Parsnips, peeled and sliced
- 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds ( I bought mine toasted but you can toast in the oven in a dry pan)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 220c, 200c fan, gas mark 7, 425f
- Cut the parsnip roughly in half where it begins to narrow, Cut each half into thin slices lengthways, then cut each of these slices into narrow strips - matchsticks.
- Toss in a bowl with the olive oil and sesame seeds and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Scatter over any loose sesame seeds and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until starting to go golden brown and crisp.
Panko Courgette Fries
- 3 large Courgettes/zucchini
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 70g Plain flour
- 150g Panko bread crumbs
- 75mls Extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven 220c, 200c fan, gas mark 7, 425f
- Wash and cut each courgettes in half both lengthways and widthways, You now have 12 wedges, cut these once each into a thinner wedge giving you 24 wedges.
- Lay out 3 plates one with flour, one with egg and one with panko crumbs
- Toss the wedges in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden brown
Crispy Dukkah Squash Fries
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled deseeded and cut into bite size wedges
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 70g Plain flour
- 2 tbsp dukkah
- 150g Panko bread crumbs
- 75mls Extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven 220c, 200c fan, gas mark 7, 425f
- lay out 3 plates and put the flour in one, beaten eggs in another, and the panko mixed with the dukkah in another.
- Toss the wedges in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden brown
Baharat Sweet Potato Fries
Baharat is a gently heated smoky spice blend from the middle east perfect on poultry, in cous cous and wonderful with sweet potato fries.
- 3 medium Sweet potatos, cut into matchsticks
- 2 tsp Baharat spice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven 220c, 200c fan, gas mark 7, 425f
- sprinkle the baharat powder over the cut potatoes, drizzle over the olive oil and toss together until all the fries are covered in the oil.
- Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and crisp for about 20-25 minutes.
They all look fantastic, GG. I love esp. those dukkah coated fries.
Thanks Angie, the dukkah fries are good. My favourite is the Baharat. GG
Fabulous! I wasn’t going to click on your post because I assumed that these were fried! Deep fried, in fact, which I just can’t bring myself to do! So imagine my happiness! Great recipes!
That’s a good point, I assumed people would think it would be baked, I should change the title. GG
I love these ideas GG! They’re so clever. I put cornflour on my sweet potato fries to crisp them up but I’m going to add baharat next time 😀
Thanks Lorraine. I’m going to try the corn flour and see if I get a crispier result. GG
What fun ideas for jazzing up vegetables, a bit of crunch is always a bonus!
These fries are very popular here. More than regular chips now. GG
I just love panko, it makes everything so crispy and these fries look lush!
Me too, Panko is a bit of a gem ingredient. GG
What a great combination for a snack – healthy and delicious. I am going to have to find some baharat spices.
They make great snacks, just add a dip and a movie. GG
Oh these sound amazing! Love the idea of using squash for fries.
The squash fries were a bit of a revelation, really good. GG
Yum! All the recipes look delicious. I’m gluten-free so a quick substitute with gf flour and gf panko—I’m all over it! Thanks for sharing! My favorites are the squash and parsnips!
Thank you Devorah, Great idea to make the subs. The fries will still be delicious. GG