Crispy and Flavorful Avocado Fries Recipe

A lot to my physician’s displeasure, I am unable to avoid fried meals. I’ve a weak spot for French fries, doughnuts, and every kind of crispy, golden brown foods—one thing that’s, sadly, mirrored in my devastatingly excessive levels of cholesterol. They are not a brand new invention, however it was solely just lately that I ate my first avocado fry, and whereas I received’t fake they’re pretty much as good as French fries—they’re not—avocado fries are scrumptious in their very own manner, crispy and golden brown on the skin and buttery inside.

One might, after all, truly fry an avocado fry, however for this recipe I opted for the oven or an air fryer, as a result of, let’s be sincere, if actual frying is concerned, I am going with French fries. And the reality is, with only a few considerate strategies, this not-actually-fried snack simulates frying nicely sufficient to earn a welcome spot among the many deep-fried meals I dwell for.

There are two important steps to nailing nice avocado fries. The primary is correctly choosing your avocado in order that it is simply ripe sufficient, however not so smooth it will collapse whilst you’re cooking. The second is being considerate concerning the breadcrumbs, as a way to get the crispiest, most flavorful coating that mimics a fried meals’s evenly golden-brown exterior. After that, you simply should resolve whether or not you are going to use an oven or an air fryer to prepare dinner them (brief reply: when you have an air fryer, use it).

Tips on how to Decide Avocados for Avocado Fries

When you’ve got a bunch of soppy, ripe avocados sitting in your kitchen counter, this isn’t the recipe for them. It’s tempting to suppose that completely ripe avocados are all the time higher for cooking and consuming, however within the case of avocado fries—the place now we have to have the ability to peel, slice, and coat the avocado earlier than cooking it—we wish fruit which are ripe however on the firmer aspect.

The best avocado for that is one that offers simply barely while you gently press the fruit close to the stem finish, with flesh that’s a vivid pale inexperienced. As soon as cooked, the marginally too-firm slices will soften to the precise buttery texture we wish from an avocado. Keep away from rock-hard, under-ripe avocados; not solely will they be a ache to chop into and pit, however they might even have an disagreeable bitter taste.

The Highway to the Finest Breadcrumb Coating

You may be questioning: why panko and never breadcrumbs? Panko is airier and fewer dense, and makes a crispier, crunchier coating than breadcrumbs. It’s necessary, nonetheless, to crush among the panko to cut back overly giant flakes. In my early batches, the coloring was uneven, with components of the avocado fries browning quicker than others attributable to bits of panko that have been too massive, exposing the bits that caught out additional to a extra intense blast of warmth. A simple answer to this was to hand-crush the panko, so we’d find yourself with items that weren’t fairly as giant as out-of-the-box panko, however not fairly as advantageous as commonplace breadcrumbs. 

Simply as necessary because the breadcrumbs themselves is what you do to them. The important thing to even browning is to toss the panko with oil so every breadcrumb turns into evenly saturated—the oil acts as a conductor for warmth and helps us efficiently mimic that fried impact we’re after. 

Second, if we will add extra taste to the avocado fries, the breadcrumb coating is one in every of our greatest choices for doing that (nicely, other than a flavorful dipping sauce). There aren’t any onerous and quick guidelines for a way you need to season your panko, and should you’re pleased with simply salt and pepper, that’s completely advantageous—however that is additionally a terrific alternative to open up your spice drawer and have a little bit of enjoyable. For a tangy, barely spiced kick, I included Tajín, a Mexican seasoning mix product of chiles, limes, and salt, into my panko combination. Simply as lime juice makes guacamole sing, Tajín lends a shiny, zesty pop that enhances the creamy, buttery taste of avocado. No Tajín? Attempt mixing in smoked paprika for an earthy sweetness or crushed Sichuan peppercorns for a little bit of málà warmth. The probabilities are limitless, they usually do make a distinction: After rounds of testing, I did not need to return to plain salt-and-pepper–seasoned bread crumbs, so whereas the seasonings are non-obligatory within the recipe, I extremely advocate them.

Air Fryer vs. Oven

Due to the air fryer, making crispy, crunchy meals at house has change into each simpler and quicker. These small however mighty machines perform like small convection ovens by quickly circulating sizzling air inside the cooking chamber, leading to quicker cooking and extra even browning. Although the fries you make within the air fryer won’t ever be as golden and crunchy as ones made in a deep fryer, they arrive fairly darn shut. And one of the best half? You don’t should arrange a pot of fryer oil, look forward to it to come back to temperature, and watch your fries like a hawk as you look forward to them to prepare dinner.

In the event you don’t have an air fryer, don’t fret—I’ve developed an oven technique for these avocado fries, too. All it’s a must to do is bake the avocado fries within the oven at 400ºF for 18 minutes—flipping midway by—till the avocado fries are crisp. It’s not fairly as speedy because the air fryer, and the avocado fries do not come out fairly as evenly browned, however it’ll fulfill that yearning for a crispy, crunchy snack.