Baked Parmesan Carrot Fries

Why is it that I can remember the lyrics of a song that I haven’t heard in over five years but I can’t remember to buy carrots?

When I’m in the car listening to the radio I have to jump from station to station to find the one with the best song on and avoid commercials as much as possible. Yes, I’m one of those people. (And yes, it drives my husband bonkers.) When I was on my way home from work the other day I turned on a station and the tune sounded familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I heard the words “Step by Step” and nearly freaked out. Where are all my New Kids on the Block fans at? I proceeded to happily sing the song that I hadn’t heard in ages (terribly), while surprisingly remembering 99% of the words.

If my memory is so spot on for songs, then how the heck could I forget to buy carrots, THE main ingredient to this dish? I live about 15 to 20 minutes away from the nearest grocery store so going back was simply not an option, or at least one I didn’t want to consider. I had to wait a whole week to make these bad boys. After a whole week, I’m just glad I didn’t forget to buy them again by the time I got back to the grocery store and that I remembered I even wanted to make this recipe in the first place.

I’ve never made carrot “fries” before so I was curious how they’d turn out. (They are baked and not fried.) I have to admit that they are a bit… boring… for a lack of a better word. Howeeeever, I added them to a salad and they suddenly became sensational. I can’t explain why that is but it’s the absolute truth. My salad consisted of lettuce, grilled asparagus, grape tomatoes, avocado, fresh Parmesan cheese, and lemon vinaigrette. Everything worked together beautifully.

I wasn’t sure if I should blog about these Parmesan carrot fries since they didn’t blow me away when they weren’t a part of a salad. I decided the recipe was worth sharing and you can use it for whatever you like. Perhaps you’re looking for a new salad ingredient, or maybe you want a twist on an old favorite snack. I bet that these carrot fries would be awesome if you had a tasty dipping sauce to accompany it (which I did not). You might even be able to sneak this one by your kids. Veggies in disguise.

What do you guys think? Have you made them? Do you find them enticing enough to make if you haven’t?

Baked Parmesan Carrot Fries Recipe
(2 servings)

Ingredients:

about 2 large carrots
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set it aside.
Peel the carrots. (This is its own step because it takes so long and makes such a mess. If you don’t mind the skins you can skip this step.)
Cut the carrots into fry sized pieces. Depending on the length of your carrots that usually means you start by cutting them in half or in thirds first. Then, cut the sections into fries that are similar in size. Some carrots that means quarters and others are fat carrots that need to be cut into way more pieces. Use your judgement, but shoot for them being similar sized pieces when you are done.
In a dish, mix together the egg and water. Stir well.
In another dish, mix together the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Dip each carrot stick into the egg mixture.
Then coat each carrot stick with the Parmesan mixture.
Transfer the carrot sticks to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake them in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Turn them over half way through the cooking process.

Source: Kitchen Sanctuary

Rating: (when the carrot fries are in the salad)