tasty tuesdays: avocado fries

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Karen Shinto (Sunset - April 2009)

These are a hit whenever I do them.  They shall not fail you.  They haven’t failed me.

I think it’s simply the novelty and the decadence of the world most perfect food.  I’m talking about Avocado Fries.  That’s right, people.  Doesn’t that sound divine?

I originally found avocado fries in the Sunset Best Recipes 2010 magazine.  It can also be found at MyRecipes.com here.  If you’re not familiar with MyRecipes, you should be.  It’s the clearinghouse of recipes from favorite magazines like Sunset, Cooking Light, Coastal Living, Real Simple and Southern Living to name a few.  Good stuff!

I’ve re-written the recipe here and my changes are in [brackets].  Enjoy!

Avocado Fries

Serves 6 [well, maybe more if everyone only has 2, but that’s next to impossible]

Time 30 minutes [It always ends up taking me 45 minutes.  I’m slow and not well coordinated]

Canola oil for frying [probably your entire bottle]

¼ cup flour

About ¼ tsp kosher salt [I love sea salt.]

2 large eggs, beaten to blend

1¼ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) [and yes, even if you live in Tennessee, you can probably find panko.  Look in the international food section.  And not that I have anything against Tennessee, it’s just very far and very Southern from here.]

2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into ½-inch wedges [Please tell me that you’ve sliced avocados before.]

1.  Preheat oven to 200-degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat 1½ in. oil until it registers 375-degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.  [Yeah.  I don’t follow directions well and I don’t have a deep-fry thermometer.  I don’t fry a whole lot to justify getting another darn gadget in my drawer.  I also fry the avocados in a large straight side skillet.  That may be why I use so much darn canola oil.  I’ll try the saucepan next time.  I put them in when the oil looks hot.  If you put your hand above the pan and it’s hot, then the oil is probably hot.  And don’t go crazy.  This is oil you’re messing with.  Be careful.]

2. Meanwhile, mix flour with ¼ tsp salt in a shallow plate.  Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates.  Dip avocado slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, then in panko to coat.  Set on 2 plates in a single layer.  [Or if you’re generally running late on having all the food out when party guests arrive like I am, have one person coat and one person fry.  You usually can get 6 in one of those larger pans that I mentioned and you can move a bit faster.]

3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds [Depending how hot your oil is, just look for the color you would want to eat your fries.]  Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels.  Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados.  Sprinkle with salt to taste. [Yeah, I never put them in the oven, I just put them on the table because most the time, people are walking by and stealing them before I get them on the table!]

This is a great party appetizer and sits well next to the standard chips and salsa.  Consider this off the beaten guacamole path.  Enjoy with a margarita.  Cheers friends!