Oven "Fried" Zucchini Fries

Last night was the first night in a long time that my husband has been home for dinner; poor guy has been working these incredibly long hours and hasn't had a homecooked meal in I don't know how long.  I decided I would kick up some burgers and instead of fries, I decided to make some zucchini fries.  We used to frequent this burger joint in Montgomery, AL called Flip's Uptown Grill.  They had the most amazing zucchini fries.  When I told the hubby that I was craving them he was all for me making them.  I decided that instead of dragging the fryer out I would try and bake them instead.  I found a breading for onion rings on the Brown Eyed Baker blog but I will say that the next time I make them, I am going to change the breading on them.  Don't get me wrong - they were delicious with this breading, BUT, I want a breading that is finer than this.  Stay tuned, because I'm sure to make these again as they were a delightful change from regular fries or sweet potato fries.

Oven "Fried" Zucchini Fries

Serves 4

3 medium size zucchini, cut in half and each half cut into quarters

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup buttermilk

1 egg

¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1½ cups crushed potato chips (kettle-cooked chips, if available)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Combine ¼ cup flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl. In another bowl combine the buttermilk, egg and additional flour, whisking until a smooth batter is formed.  In a third bowl, place the crushed potato chips.

Prepare the zucchini fries by first dipping a zucchini baton into the seasoned flour, then into the batter (let the excess batter drip off), and then coat with the crushed potato chips. As you finish the zucchini strips, place them on a large plate. Repeat with all zucchini batons.

Drizzle the vegetable oil on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully remove the sheet from the oven and tilt to evenly coat with oil.  Working quickly, place your zucchini fries on the baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes, flip the fries and bake and additional 8 minutes or until golden brown.

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