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Your family and friends will love these Zippy Zucchini Fries, y’all. They are such a nice change of pace from regular potato french fries. They can just as easily be made with yellow summer squash if that’s what you have on hand.
This is a side dish I’m preparing for this week’s THV11 This Morning segment. I’m going to be talking about setting up a Burger Bar for a Burger Bash, specifically geared toward Memorial Day. But you don’t have to wait around for a special occasion to make these fries.
I’ve served them with the Herbed Mayonnaise shown here, but they would be just as delicious with Blue Cheese or Roquefort Dressing or even Buffalo Wing Sauce. I’m not a real mayo lover so I often substitute nonfat Greek yogurt which has been well-drained for it. If you’re so inclined to make homemade mayonnaise, go ahead. You just know it will be delicious.
This week’s feature will showcase burgers of all kinds: Smoked Salmon Burgers (fresh and smoked salmon), Italian Burgers (beef and Italian sausage, Tequila-Lime Chicken Burgers, Kickin’ Bison, Bacon and BBQ Burgers, and Gyro-Style Lamb Burgers.
Thanks for hanging in there with me while my site is being reconstructed. It seems as though my custom theme decided to take a hiatus. Sometimes technology…
Notes
Adapted from Southern Made Fresh by Tasia Malakasis.
Ingredients
Fries
- 1 pound zucchini, about 3 small (I prefer the smaller ones because they hold up better.)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2-3 cups panko
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1-2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Riceland Rice Bran Oil or peanut oil
- Herbed Mayonnaise or Greek yogurt and/or prepared blue cheese or Roquefort dressing. Buffalo sauce is nice as well.
- Tabasco, optional
Herbed Mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise or drained Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Creole mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground smoked chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced thyme
- 2 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Cut zucchini into 2 x 1/4 (or so)-inch lengths. Slightly larger sticks will have more of the zucchini flavor.
- Sprinkle sticks with kosher salt; let stand 20-30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
- Combine panko, garlic powder, black pepper and ground chipotle in a large zipper bag; set aside.
- Place flour in another zipper bag; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk eggs. (I usually put these in a plastic zipper bag as well. It's just easier for me.)
- Shake zucchini sticks in the flour in batches.
- Dip in the beaten eggs being sure to coat thoroughly.
- Place sticks in the panko bag and shake well to coat.
- Heat oil to a depth of 1/2 inch to 374-400 degrees. Fry zucchini sticks in a single layer until browned and crisped.
- Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Herbed Mayonnaise
- Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour. May be made ahead.
- The fries may also be baked in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
While I’ll eat zucchini, it’s not my favorite squash, but I bet I’d like it fixed this way.
All I can tell you is that the THV crew scarfed them down before I could clear the set!