Seriously Yummy Rutabaga French Fries -
As good as regular potato Fries,
plus a Fry-Sauce to boot!
Low-Carb Deliciousness - That's what these are!
When you eat these fine, crispy morsels, you will feel like doin' the 'Rutabaga Boogie' - But you won't have to - Because, as I said, they are low-carb. Party!
Rutabagas are high in fiber and have about a 4th of the carbs that potatoes do.
We like to partially cook these ahead of time, so that when the craving hits, they are quick to make - and quick to satisfy.
Restaurants use a similar method. Commercial fries are already mostly cooked and then stored in the freezer. Then the restaurant just quickly fries them up in a vat of hot oil to finish them off for you.
Well, now you get to chose a healthy oil to make your own fries with, coconut oil. We prefer deodorized 76 degree coconut oil for this, as it does not interfere with the french fry taste. Coconut oil also can take the heat very well, so you also avoid those bad-for-you trans-fatty acids. By the way, these fries are REALLY GOOD as a side, along with the
Angus Beef Stick Meat recipe I recently posted. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we are also sharing a delicious, easy
Fry-Sauce recipe to go along with the fries. Happy day.
The secret we share with you here is to first parboil the rutabaga fries with a little Italian seasoning, then cool or chill them until needed. When the craving hits, bake & broil them, or pan-fry to finish them, until the fries are browned, beautifully blistered and flaky. If you don't parboil them first, you will be baking them over 90 minutes in a 400 degree oven -that takes too long!
Easy Reduced-Fat Fry Sauce Recipe:
1 c. Follow Your Heart Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
Seasoned Salt, to taste (recipe on our blog)
Ground White pepper, to taste, for more kick (or Cayenne Pepper, or Hot Mustard)
1/3 c. Jalapeno sour cream, optional (sour cream with chopped roasted jalapeno added)
Method:
Place mayo in a small serving bowl
Season generously to taste with seasoned salt.
Spice it up to taste with white pepper or mustard powder
Best Rutabaga Fries recipe:
2 Large Rutabagas (makes a lot!)
1 T. Onion Salt
1 T. Italian Herb Seasoning Blend
Season-All Seasoned Salt
Fine Onion Powder
Coconut Oil
Method (a 2-stage process):
Stage 1 (parboiling):
Scrub the rutabagas clean. Cut off the tough ends. Then cut off the thick collar of skin that surrounds the stalks. Scrape off any rootlet hairs with a paring knife to make smooth.
No need to peel the rutabagas, the fries are better with the peel left on. the roasted skins have a great flavor and texture and are very similar to potato skins!
Cut as evenly as possible into french fry shapes (Long +1/4 to 3/8-inch thick is best).
CAUTION: Large rutabagas are very hard. Use caution and use a heavy knife. Cut in half - lengthwise (for longer fries) to create a stable base. Then cut the halved root into 1/4th-inch slices (lengthwise again). Stack the slices and then carefully cut into 1/4 inch french fries.
Soak the cut up rutabagas in very hot water while you are bringing a large pot of water to a rapid boil on the stove. You want to cook them in plenty of water.
Carefully add the drained rutabaga fries to the rapidly boiling water. Add 1 T. onion salt and 1 T. Italian herb seasoning blend to the pot (this really tames the strong cabbage smell).
Start timing when boiling begins in earnest, and boil about 15 (?) minutes, depending on the width of the thickest fries.
Parboil until fork tender (tooth tender), and is no longer crunchy. They will become closer to the texture of boiled red potatoes. Don't cook until mushy or the fries will break up.
Note: If you do over cook the rutabagas, no worries, just proceed with the recipe and make into hash browns.
Drain parboiled fries in a wide colander, so that you can sprinkle and toss them with Season-all seasoned salt mixed with fine onion powder, both of which aid browning.
Gently toss fries about every 5 to 10 minutes until cool. It is important to allow as much steam as possible to escape. Let completely cool.
At this point, you may immediately cook up a batch of cooled fries, or, layer into a storage container and keep ready to "fry" in the fridge up to 3 days. It is best to refrigerate overnight, but not necessary, it just breaks up the work.
It's good to keep a bag of parboiled and seasoned fries in the fridge for a "Fast-Fry-Fix".
Stage 2 (crisping):
There are 2 ways to finish off the fries:
1. Bake and then broil in the oven to finish (our favorite method).
2. Pan-fry in a heavy frying pan on the stove.
Bake & Broil Method:
Sprinkle the chilled rutabaga fries with seasoned salt to taste.
Toss the chilled rutabaga fries with melted coconut oil. The coconut oil will turn white when it hits the cold rutabaga. Spread the fries out onto a (dark heavy) pizza pan.
Bake the fries in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, then broil on high on the top rack of the oven to blister. Watch closely...Don't wander off and burn your fries!
The fries will be covered with flaky blisters, the texture we are after.
Pan-Fried Method:
The Pan-Fried Method takes only about 10 minutes from fridge to table.
Sprinkle cold rutabaga fries with Seasoned Salt to taste.
Toss fries with warmed coconut oil, inside a dark heavy skillet (cast iron is awesome for browning).
Fry on the stove top until blistered and browned with a little coconut oil, in the dark heavy skillet.
This method results in slightly less flaky and crispy fries, but they are still very good.
To Serve: Leave the finished fries in the hot pan to keep the fries hot longer.
Note: Rutabagas absorb very little oil and are much lower in starch than potatoes or yams, so they will not have the crunch of regular french fries (except the thinnest cuts) but will be yummy and more-ish dipped in this special tangy sauce! Broiling them gives the crunchiest effect, however.
P.S. Don't cut your hand off.
See the photos of the process:
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| Mom's Recipe Card |
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| Cut off the tough ends of 2 large rutabagas |
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| Cut in half - lengthwise |
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| Stack the slices and then carefully cut into 1/4 inch french fries |
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| Soak raw fries in very hot water while waiting for the pot of water to boil |
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| Parboil rutabagas until fork tender |
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| Drain parboiled fries in a colander, sprinkle and toss with seasoning |
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| Cooled and seasoned parboiled rutabaga fries - At this point they can be stored in the fridge |
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Chilled coconut oil-coated fries - ready to be cooked
THE BROILER METHOD - OUR FAVORITE COOKING METHOD
Results in a crispy, blistered fry
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| Baked rutabaga fries - This is how they look before the 2nd browning |
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| Close up of the blistered, flaky texture of the finished hot broiled fries in a dark, heavy pizza pan |
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Here they are - Hot from the broiler - ENJOY!
VARIATION: RESULTS OF THE QUICK STOVE-TOP METHOD
Still delicious but not as crispy and blistered |
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Pan-fried rutabaga fries
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| The 2nd browning: After pan-blistering in coconut oil - use a heavy dark pan for the best crust |
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| Mom's Fry Sauce Recipe |
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| This rich Fry Sauce makes up for the leanness of the veggie fries |
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YUM
Quote from MOM, "Yum O!!! I ate a giant rutabaga this way. Man O man, it was delicious beyond all reason."
Enough said.
Leila |
