Butternut Squash Fries

I love everything about autumn. The smells, the "sweater weather," the walks outside, the beautiful leaves, and especially all of the fresh produce we have available. I thought I would share a recipe I used MANY times this past year. With all of the squash we have available in the upcoming months, I highly recommend these! 

I had to post this recipe because it's one of my daughters (and mine!) favorites. I'll be honest. When I heard that there was such thing as Butternut Squash Fries, I thought they sounded funky and nasty. Boy am I ever wrong! My daughter eats these things as fast as her little mouth can chew. She much prefers them to regular french fries, which is nice, because these are so much better for her. They are awesome, healthy, and packed with fiber! Serve with ketchup, or however else you enjoy fries or sweet potato fries!

**If you're unfamiliar with handling these, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them.

Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash (I usually make more than 1/2)
salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

With a very sharp knife, cut the ends of the squash off and cut in half.

Cut each of your halves in half again.

 

Remove all of the seeds from each section that was cut. Using a spoon works well for digging out all of the "guts."

 

It should be the perfect size to hold and peel. I usually just use a normal vegetable peeler, and it works great(as long as it's sharp). Peel each quarter, making sure that you remove all of the peel. You may have to go over the surface more than once.

Now that they are peeled, you are ready to cut some more. Cut each of the quarters into small strips. One of the secrets to getting nice squash fries, is to get it the right size. Think of a real French Fry, that is your size goal. I usually like mine on the fatter side, because there is less chance of burning.

Turn your strips onto their sides, and cut in half. Cut these strips in half, to reduce length.

Place the cut squash in a bowl. If you would like, you can toss them in some olive oil. I personally like them without. If you choose to use the oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper (optional) afterward.

Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. The other secret to getting not overly soft squash fries is to very widely space them on your sheet pan. It works best to have them far apart from each other. I would use two sheet pans for one squash, if possible. Cover lightly with salt (if you haven't already). Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. This will depend on your oven and how small you cut them, so check early, and leave a time cushion if they take a little longer then you expect. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

Enjoy! SO YUMMY!