Flipping through the channels not long ago, on a Saturday afternoon, Darin and I stumbled on Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien’s new show on the Food Network. She’s always got such great ideas, not to mention her boundless energy, so we had to watch! She was cooking up (baking up, I should say) these squash fries that looked amazing!
As intrigued as we were, I didn’t foresee myself making them anytime soon. I fell prey to that butternut squash racket last fall when everyone said how easy they were to peel and prepare and that I “had to try it”. So I did-and let me tell you…NOT SO MUCH when it comes to the ease part! Peeling and cutting a butternut squash is a huge pain!!! Just my opinion, of course.
Well–low and behold—on Tuesday night while sprinting the isles of Jewel to “stock up” for the snow day, I thought of the squash. Lots of people bake cookies when it’s cold and snowy but that’s just not an option for me. It wouldn’t even be fun because the boys would eat one or two and I’d have cookies on the brain all day long, exhausting myself trying to fight the urge to finish of the rest of the batch! Not my idea of a relaxing snow day! So, as the winds whipped and the snow piled up, I baked alright………SQUASH FRIES and they were out of this world!
Just peel the squash-haha-see how I write “just”? Prepare yourself, it’s a pain, but I had nothing else to do (that I wanted to do, I should say). Slice it into “fries”. She used a crinkle cutter but I don’t have one, so I did my best with a regular knife. Again, cutting them takes a little time but it’s exciting to see them take the shape of “fries”! After they are cut, lay them out on a paper towel to dry for a while-about an hour. Then place on cookie sheet, spray with Olive Oil Pam and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 25 minutes at 425*, flipping the fries half way through. Baking times may vary, so keep an eye on them.
They were very yummy and delicious and felt like “junk food”. It was hard to believe they weren’t sweet potato fries because they are the exact same color and texture.
Not something I have time to make on a busy week night, but sure worth the effort when you’ve got some free time!! Try it!
Terra,
I have a couple suggestions for squash cooking.
You were working with Butternut squash. This summer my son had a garden and it supplied friends, neighbors and the food pantry. Butternut squash was by the bushel full. I made soup with it and have it in my freezer.
This is my suggestion. I with a knife or fork punchured the squash and then put it in the microwave just to start to soften the skin a bit. Depending on size I would say start at 5 minutes and increase if you see you need to. Doing this will soften the skin a bit to make it much easier to peel and to cut to get the seeds out. Do not over do as then I am sure it would make the fries mushy. This will make it much easier to peel the skin though.
Acorn squash. Do the very same by putting a fork or sharp knife so the squash does not explode while in a microwave. (same as for potatoes) Depending on size of acorn squash, bake in microwave starting at 6 minutes and increase as needed. The squash holds a lot of heat so handle carefully. Use a towel so not to burn yourself.
When squash is soft, remove carefully and place on cutting board. Cut in sizes you desire. I usually use some sugar free pancake syrup on the acorn squash. If making for company I will use Splenda brown sugar and a bit of oleo and salt and pepper.
Hope this can be of some help to you.