Oil Free French "Fries"

There are several recipes out there for baked French fries that need only a little bit of oil to coat the potatoes. But recently I came across this interesting recipe that is completely oil free and uses egg whites to crisp up the potatoes. I was a little worried that it might smell like eggs, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was absolutely no hint of eggs once baked!

Ingredients:

1-2 large potatoes (I used Russet)

1 egg white - beaten

Paprika (optional)

Salt to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Fresh parsley - finely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Wash and peel the potatoes and slice them about ¾- 1cm thick. Toss the potatoes with the egg whites and coat evenly.

Lay down the potatoes on the prepared pan in a single layer. Sprinkle some paprika and bake for ~15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through (test one of the fries). If you’d like them to be golden brown, broil on high for a minute or so.

Remove from oven, sprinkle some salt and toss around to coat. For an even more delicious flair, toss in some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.

~Gayatri

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A healthier version of crispy French "fries" - completely oil free!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2016/02/oil-free-french-fries.html
Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Taro root / Arbi fries

 Back home, my mom often made arbi fries, and I can remember how quickly those would be gone. I can’t always find taro root in the grocery stores in the US, and often its a bit expensive, but every once in a while, I do get some to revisit those childhood memories.

 

Ingredients:

3 medium size Arbi / Taro roots

Oil for shallow frying

For Marinade: (The amount of the spices used can be varied to taste. I like my food less spicy, so its typically heavier on coriander powder than garam masala, chili powder etc. Feel free to experiment with the spice mix.)
½ tsp oil

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

⅛ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp red chili powder (not chili seasoning)  - optional

salt

Wash the arbi and steam it until tender but not mushy. This can be done in a pressure cooker, microwave, or a steamer.

Peel and slice the arbi. The thickness of the slices is up to you -  the thinner the slices, the more crispy the outcome will be. I sliced them about an eighth of an inch so that I had a crisp exterior but a nice soft interior to bite into.

 

Mix all the marinade ingredients and toss the slices. Mix until well coated. It works best if you use your hands and rub the marinade onto each slice.

 

Heat a little oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the slices to the pan in a single layer. Cook for a minute or two until browned on one side, then flip and cook the other side similarly. Repeat till all slices are done.

 

If you have any fries left after they are done frying (these are very hard not to snack on while the next batch is frying), serve them warm as a side with a meal or just as a snack.

 

~Gayatri

 

Note: I believe other starchy roots like jicama could be used for this as well, but I haven’t tried that yet.