Crispy Oven Baked Eggplant Fries

It's the end of August and like many people with vegetable gardens, you may be finding yourself with a surfeit of eggplants. We sure have an abundant supply and for the first time, they're not those typical shiny oblong purple eggplants that are used in Italian cooking. The ones growing in our garden are called "fairytale eggplants" and they are small and stripe-y looking. The grow only about three to four inches long when mature, making it a little difficult to cut large, long slices. I was trying to figure out what to do with them when I came up with the idea of making baked eggplant fries. 

In order to get the stick shape I was looking for, I cut thick slices (about 1" thick), then sliced the slices into three or four pieces. See photo below:

Using the traditional method of breading anything from chicken cutlets to vegetables, I arranged three plates with flour; beaten egg; and a bread crumb mixture. The bread crumb mixture contained both regular and panko bread crumbs, plus parmesan cheese and fresh, minced oregano. The first time I made these I used only panko, but they were so crunchy it hurt my teeth, so I tempered it with regular bread crumbs.

It's a messy job to dip the eggplant sticks into the three separate mixtures but keep a moist paper towel handy to clean up your fingers when you need to. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil, then arrange the eggplant sticks on top and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake in a 425 degree oven. 

Flip them once while they're in the oven, and after 15-20 minutes, you'll have these crunchy, delicious baked eggplant fries. They make a great side dish, or serve them as an hors d'oeuvres, with a marinara sauce or aioli.

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more)

Crispy Oven Baked Eggplant Fries

3 or 4 "baby" eggplants or 2 traditional purple eggplants

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

3/4 cup regular breadcrumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

a handful of fresh herbs, minced (I used oregano but basil, thyme or marjoram would be nice too)

olive oil to drizzle on cookie sheet and over top of eggplants

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the eggplants into thick 1" slices, then slice each slice into three or four "sticks."

In three separate plates, place the flour; the beaten egg; and the bread crumb mixture, made by mixing the two bread crumbs with parmesan cheese and minced oregano. 

 Dip each stick into first the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumb/parmesan mixture.

Smear a cookie sheet with olive oil, then place the "sticks" over the olive oil. Drizzle more olive oil on top, then place in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping once. 

Serve with a marinara sauce or aioli, or just plain.