If I have learned anything from this Pregnancy Foodie Project, it's that I can eat weird vegetables and survive! Remember the turnip? I did a mashed-potato-wannabe dish with those and lived to tell about it. Remember the kumquats? That's one crazy fruit, but I'm still here. And if you had asked me a week ago to pick a rutabaga out of a line up I wouldn't have been able to, but now I know what they are and I ate a whole 2 pounder, by myself! In fact, it took 3 of the grocers at the store to make for sure which root vegetable actually was the rutabaga. They're learning along with me!
Oven-Baked Rutabaga Fries
I did a facebook poll and asked y'all what the heck I should do with this crazy thing, and my favorite idea was from Layna Edd. She suggested Rutabaga French Fries, so that's what I did. Thanks, Layna!
Oven-Baked Rutabaga Fries
2 lb rutabaga
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper
Ground red Chipotle
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper or foil.
Peal and cut into strips.
Place in a bowl.. Drizzle in enough olive oil to just barely coat all of the strips. Season liberally. I used quite a lot of the smoked paprika and a little bit of all the other seasonings.
Spread the fries out on prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. You will either need to do this on two pans or in two batches so that the pan is not over crowded.
The tricky part is the baking time. I actually cooked these for quite a while. I saw one recipe for these hat said 15 minutes, but mine were still raw at that point. You need to bake them past the raw stage where they are still hard, then past the stage where they are soft, and finally they will start to crisp up. I kept checking mine after every 5 minutes, and I finally took them out after about 35-40 minutes.
The end result is different than French fries or potatoes, but the seasoning on them is great! They definitely have a "healthy" taste to them, but I liked it. And for a healthy low-carb, and much lower fat option than regular fries, these babies are worth a try!
The end result is different than French fries or potatoes, but the seasoning on them is great! They definitely have a "healthy" taste to them, but I liked it. And for a healthy low-carb, and much lower fat option than regular fries, these babies are worth a try!
Those actually look delicious! I've put rutabaga in beef stew and I've mashed it with potatoes but I've never oven fried them. Yum. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for using a rutabaga! I don't think I would have thought of making fries out of them!
ReplyDeleteThis is the greatest idea...EVER. I adore rutabagas, but I have never had them in fry form. I will have to set out to find a rutabaga this after noon so I can try this!
ReplyDeleteI'm all about healthy ways to eat french fries! Haha. I have to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteI've never had Rutabaga either, but Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh was very passionate about them, so I'm sure they're delish :) Turning them into fries seems perfect!
ReplyDeleteI have never had this vegetable. Now I must try it! Thanks for sharing such a delicious looking recipe.
ReplyDeleteThese look different and interesting, something worth a try! :)
ReplyDeleteDelicious!!!! Needs very little oil and some salt. The hot spices really taste great with this. Some have said use more paprika. I used equal amounts of everything and half the paprika and they were great. Added salt when I took them out and that really helped.
ReplyDeleteShari, thanks so much for the feedback! I love trying new veggies and spices really turn something bland into something special, huh? Glad you liked them!
DeleteI am attempting to stay on the healthy side and weird fruits and veggies have been my thing lately. I too had to wait in line at the grocery as confusion came over the cashier. I got asked several times what I bought. Your recipe was the first to pop up from google. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing!
DeleteSo glad you liked them!! Sometimes the risk is worth the pay out when it comes to weird things! :)
Delete