Amazing Roasted Pumpkin Fries
Move over potatoes, here’s a seasonal side dish that you’ll crave over and over again! A delicious twist on a classic fry, these roasted pumpkin fries are delicious on their own or paired with your favorite grilled steak, chicken or pork.
You’ll Need:
1/4 of a pumpkin- peeled, cut into thin french-fry-like strips (approximately 8 cups sliced)
Seasoning Blend of your choice (my 3-favorites are listed below)
Optional: crumbled blue cheese, maple balsamic, or other malt vinegar, etc
Sweet Pumpkin Fries
2 tsp Pumpkin Spice
2 Tbs Vermont Maple Balsamic
Savory Pumpkin Fries:
2 tsp Curry Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbs Olive Oil
Parmesan Pumpkin Fries
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
Savory #2
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
Place the cut-up pumpkin fries into a bowl and cover with cold water. Let them soak at least 30 minutes before cooking. This is the key to crisp oven fries, soaking removes excess starch that can cause the fries to be limp, so don’t skip it! Drain them and dry them, (moisture is the enemy of crisp fries!)
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix together the seasoning blend of your choice in a bowl. Dump the pumpkin fries into a large bowl, pour the seasonings over the fries, stir to completely coat. If you’d prefer not to dirty a bowl you can place the pumpkin fries in a zip-close style bag, add the oil/seasoning mixture, seal and shake until evenly coated.
Place fries in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Season lightly with Salt & Pepper
Roast fries for 15 minutes, turn over, roast until tender (about 5 more minutes) Raise temperature to 400 F and broil the fries for another 3 minutes until they’re nice and crispy.
If you prefer you can top fries with crumbled blue cheese, drizzled balsamic, etc just prior to serving.
