Baked Zucchini Fries!

We’ve entered this wonderful time of year that summer and fall coincide and there’s an abundance of summer squash AND I’m not totally opposed to turning on the oven; imagine that?!

I love making veggie fries for the kids (and myself) and they’re also a pretty hearty appetizer, if you want to make them closer to dinner time.

Plum sauce goes great with these or a spicy mayo.

Yes, the prep work is slightly annoying for these, but the ingredients are so basic and they just taste SO GOOD, I don’t mind making them. I always make sure I have panko bread crumbs on hand.

Early Fall Vermont Foliage.

But still at the beach too.

You can make these any time of year with pretty much any veg. Try it with carrots, winter squash (peeled), brussels sprouts, broccoli (!!! so good), string beans, etc…any veg that flour will stick to. Test the recipe out on a few pieces first and see how they do.

You’ll need:

• 1-2 pounds of raw veggies
• 2 c AP flour
• 1 c milk of your choice
• 2 c panko bread crumbs
• salt & fresh cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop your veggies into even sized pieces.

Sift the AP flour into a shallow dish that you’ll be able to dip the veggies into easily. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper and mix with a fork until combined.

Pour the milk into a small bowl and set it next to the flour, then pour the panko into another shallow dish, starting to set up a little assembly line, so that you can dredge each veggie stick in the:

flour first,

then the milk,

then the panko, and place them right onto your baking tray without making too much of a mess.

To allow the fries to get crispy all around, the best way to bake these is to use parchment paper OR to bake them directly on a drying rack (the kind you would use for letting cookies cool when you take them out of the oven). Just make sure you put the drying rack over a sheet pan large to catch any crumbs while you’re working and while it’s in the oven as well.

When you’ve coated all your veggies, bake them in the oven at 400 F on the mid-lower rack for about 15 minutes, then turn up the temperature to 425 F for the last 5-10 minutes to get the breading golden brown.

Make sure to check them towards the end to prevent burning. I ended up with a total baking time of 25 minutes.

For dipping:

• Mix together mayo (of your choice)
• Horseradish (I love Gold’s horseradish with the beets in it)
• and either some sour cream or plain yogurt

taste and season the sauce if necessary with a little salt and pepper, but the horseradish usually has enough spice too it to suffice.