Baked Asparagus Fries

You had me at FRIES  -- Am I right?  It doesn't even matter if you're not a fan of asparagus - if you're a fan of FRIES - this recipe is for you.  Swapping out a starchy potato with this deliciously green spring vegetable really makes these a healthy alternative to traditional french fries. 

Spring is the perfect time to give these Asparagus fries a try.  This is the season when supermarkets are stocking fresh spears of this sweet and snappy vegetable.  Pick some up on your next trip to the store and give these healthy FRIES a shot.  (Oh and this sauce is ridiculous so don't even think about skipping it.)  

Baked Asparagus Fries
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
​1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs
4 slices bread
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
cooking spray
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Combine sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.  

Place 1/4 c. flour in shallow bowl.  

Beat eggs in another bowl. Process bread until finely ground.  Add 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper and 3 T. flour. ​

Run asparagus under cold water in colander.  

Toss wet asparagus in flour. 

Dip in egg. 

Transfer to bread crumb mixture.  

Place asparagus on greased foil lined baking sheet.  Spray lightly with cooking spray. 

Bake 8 minutes at 400.  

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Serve with reserved sauce. 

I'm not sure whether it was because I wet the asparagus before dipping it in flour or because I made my own bread crumb mixture but this delicious coating really adhered to the asparagus much better than it had in my previous attempts.  I loved these "fries" so much that I gobbled up this entire batch of them for dinner.  Lucky for me - I'm the only asparagus eater in the house.  ;)

Ciao!

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