Old Mississippi Eggplant French Fries Food

CRISPY BAKED PARMESAN EGGPLANT FRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• An easy way to cut your eggplant is to first slice off the ends, then cut it in half length-wise. From there, you will make "french fry" wedges from the eggplant using your knife
• After that's done, add the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and cayenne pepper to a bowl. Mix together
• In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs
• Have a baking sheet ready to go, and start by dipping each eggplant wedge into the egg bowl, and then coat uniformly with the bread crumb mixture
• Place onto the baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the eggplant
• Once all the eggplant wedges are coated, drizzle olive oil over them and pop into the oven for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp
• Enjoy with marinara or your favorite dipping sauce!

PARMESAN EGGPLANT FRIES WITH BASIL KETCHUP

Steps:

• For the ketchup: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, basil, salt and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Remove the garlic, cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use (can be refrigerated for up to 1 week).
• For the fries: Place two racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Insert a wire rack into a large baking sheet.
• Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Combine the panko and the Parmesan in another medium bowl.
• Slice off both ends of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and slice each half into 1/2-to-3/4-inch thick layers, then cut each layer into 1/2-inch sticks. After all of the fries are cut, drop them into the flour and lightly toss them to coat evenly. Working in batches of a few at a time, dip the floured fries into the egg and then into the panko mixture. Place the fries on the wire rack in the baking sheet, leaving an 1/8-inch space between each fry.
• Bake the fries until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Season the fries with the remaining salt and serve with Basil Ketchup.

EGGPLANT FRIES

Steps:

• For dipping sauce:
• Whisk yogurt, chopped pickle, lemon zest, and oregano in a small bowl to blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• For fries:
• Place eggplant in a large bowl. Add 2 cups ice and enough water to cover. Place a plate on top of eggplant to weigh it down. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Pour oil into a large deep pot to a depth of 2". Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of pot and heat oil over medium heat to 325°F.
• Meanwhile, whisk rice flour, lemon zest, za'atar, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a medium bowl to blend. Drain eggplant. Working in batches, toss damp eggplant in flour mixture to coat.
• Working in batches, fry eggplant, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per batch. (Reheat oil to 325°F between batches.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with lemon juice and sea salt. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.