Avocado Fries
I never fry at home… like, never.
Never ever.
Ever.
Of course, I see all kinds of recipes for fried treats that I would love to make, but I never dare make them. The danger of opening up my home to frying food is too great. Making a batch of donuts then leads to eating a batch of donuts, then I know nothing will compare to the home made ones and I will have to make more of them, then eat more of them, then….. other things will start being fried. Everything really. Everything will start to be fried.
It’s a slippery slope there, a dangerous one, and I try to stay away from that slope at all costs.
Well, my friends, Pinterest struck again with these gosh darned avocado fries. I was so intrigued by the whole concept…. avocado FRIES??? Overcome by a recent addiction to avocado, I couldn’t resist. The image in my head of biting into a crunchy, salty exterior surrounding a warm, creamy avocado was just too much to bare. They must be mine.
So I broke my cardinal kitchen rule: thou shalt not fry.
And, while I was at it, why not throw some onion rings in there too? I always have about a thousand onions in my fridge. And I had extra buttermilk to use up anyway. I’m already breaking my rule anyway…. See? 5 minutes in and I’m already sliding down that slope… and it all started with an innocent little avocado…
Well, both were delicious. And I felt extra guilty after eating them, even though Boyfriend wandered into the kitchen at some point to help consume them… he had to run to the store in the middle of it and… yeah…. too bad I can never make these again. Never ever. Ever. Make these again. But you…you should definitely make them. Even if you never fry, maybe especially if you never fry. They’re dangerously good.
Avocado Fries Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine
- Canola oil for frying
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or other seasoning blend of your choice)
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
- 1 1/4 cups panko
- 2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
- Grated parmesan (or other seasoning blend) for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer. (I had to switch pans after realizing my original pan was not big enough to use my spider with) Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates. (I like to use paper plates so I can just throw them away afterwards. Wasteful, I know.)
3. Slice avocado and sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt. (Maybe a little more, be generous with it). Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set aside while you finish the rest.
3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan (or other seasoning), if desired. I did some with southwestern seasoning and others just plain salt…. Both were delicious.
Panko Onion Rings
- 1 sweet onion, cut into medium slices, rings separated
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
- 1 – 1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
- Canola Oil, for frying
- Marinate onion slices in buttermilk 30 minutes to 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 ½ inch of oil to 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
- Coat slices in flour, then egg, then panko. Refill panko as needed. Set aside coated rings while you coat the rest.
- When ready, fry onion rings a few slices at a time, making sure to not let the oil temperature drop too low. Place fried onion rings on the rack and keep warm in the oven.
- Sprinkle with final salt (or other seasoning) and serve warm (preferably with some ranch to dip them in)
