Baked Asparagus Fries with Lemon Garlic Aioli

I love these baked asparagus fries! Fresh asparagus is rolled in Parmesan cheese and baked until crispy. Dipping them in a homemade lemon garlic aioli is the ultimate.

Have I ever told you about the time I made asparagus baby food?

Yeah… sounds delicious doesn’t it? Uhhh yeah-no. The only thing that came out of steaming and shocking and puree-ing and straining asparagus was a house that smelled like you-know-what. Lucky that was long ago and only a few short months later the stench was gone and I could resume to eating asparagus again. phew.

Don’t ya think there are two kinds of people in this world. Ones who like this veg, and ones that absolutely do not. I hope you’re an asparagus fan, because this snack is the bestest. But, if you’re unsure if YOU fall into one of those two categories, this would be a great recipe to try and find out! I promise… I won’t let you down.

To Make These Asparagus Fries You Will Need:

for the asparagus fries:

• asparagus
• egg whites
• panko bread crumbs
• all-purpose flour
• finely grated Parmesan cheese
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

for the aioli:

• egg plus egg yolk
• brown mustard
• lemon juice
• grapeseed oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• garlic
• lemon juice

If you’re from Michigan and if you’ve ever visited the West side of the state in the spring-summer months you’ll see a zillion signs for fresh asparagus. Over by Lake Michigan is pretty much the only area the asparagus can grown here, and there’s only two other states that grow more than Michigan! And let’s face it… local, farm fresh produce is the BEST.

Make the Asparagus Fries:

Wash and pat dry 1 bunch of asparagus.

Trim off about an inch off of the ends and just set aside.

Separate the yolk from 2 eggs and reserve the yolks for another purpose, like homemade mayo!

Whisk well to break up the egg whites and then set this dish off to the side for a moment.

Add in the 3/4 cup panko (for my Homemade Panko Breadcrumbs recipe), 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. The only thing I would maybe change would be to use finer grated Parmesan. But hey… you live and you learn, give it a stir and set it aside.

Roll the asparagus around in the egg whites to get them coated.

Drain off any access and roll them around in the dish with the Parm and Panko.

So here is where you can probably understand why you’d wanna use the finer grated parm. Ps. Is it me or do these asparagus look like they could use a shave, no?

Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, turning them half way through the cooking time. You’ll want to serve these “fries” warm, so making the mayo ahead of time is a swell idea.

Make the Aioli:

Did I just say make your mayo ahead of time?? Yup you guessed it… we’re making mayo from scratch! So excited for this one! After your first experience in mayo-making you’ll be making mayo left and right and you’ll be able to tell which restaurants use real-REAL mayo and those who doesn’t… because nothing compares to a from scratch mayo. NOTHING.

To start this out you’ll need 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk.

Add in 1 teaspoon of brown mustard, regular old yellow mustard would work too.

2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.

Place the top onto the processor and turn it on high. Slowly, and I mean S-L-O-W-L-Y stream in 1 cup grapeseed oil. Until everything emulsifies and thickens. Pouring the grapeseed oil too fast could result in disaster. So take your time.

After the grapeseed oil has worked its magic with the egg yolks you have the best mayo of your life. It’s thinner than what you’ll find on the shelves, and I prefer it to be that way. If I was to stop here I’d season it with salt and pepper, but we’re not stopping… ohhhh noooo we’re not.

To turn this mayo into a lemon-garlic aioli just add 2 more tablespoons of lemon juice.

Then toss in 2 peeled and roughly chopped cloves of garlic and a 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper.

Store it in a glass jar or airtight container and refrigerate for a few hours at least, but over night really is best. I could drink this stuff… for reals.

But I wasn’t waiting, so I spooned a little aioli into a small dish for dipping.

And serve along side of a few baked asparagus fries.

Would you believe me if I told you I ate all 23 baked asparagus fries?

Because I did. Oh yes I dee-ed. Crispy, crunchy and that aioli is amazing!

Enjoy! And if you give this baked asparagus fries recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 6 servings

Parmesan Asparagus Fries with Lemon Garlic Aioli

I love these baked asparagus fries! Fresh asparagus is rolled in Parmesan cheese and baked until crispy. Dipping them in a homemade lemon garlic aioli is the ultimate.

Prep Time: 35 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

FOR THE ASPARAGUS FRIES:

• 1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed [I try to pick a bunch that are pretty uniform in thickness]
• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE MAYO & AIOLI:

• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Equipment

• Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor Brushed Chrome and Nickel

Instructions 

MAKE the asparagus:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or brush lightly with oil.
• Separate the egg yolks from the whites in a medium dish and gently whisk. {Reserve the yolks for another purpose}
• In another medium sized bowl add Panko, flour, finely grated Parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper, stir.
• Roll a few of the asparagus in the egg whites, drain off any excess and then roll in the panko/Parmesan to coat. Place on the prepared pan and repeat with the remaining asparagus.
• Pop into the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes flipping the asparagus half way through, continue to bake until the outside is lightly golden. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

MAKE the mayo & aioli:

• In a mini food processor (or regular size) add a whole egg, the egg yolk, teaspoon of brown mustard and two teaspoons of lemon juice.
• Place the top to the mini-processor and turn on high. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the grapeseed oil. This takes a few minutes so don't rush it while the processor is still running.
• To make this mayo an aioli, remove the top, add in the remaining lemon juice, the chopped garlic and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth. For the best tasting mayo, store in an air-tight glass jar and refrigerate over night.

Notes

*you will also need a mini or regular sized food processor

Serving: 1g, Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Sodium: 347mg, Potassium: 220mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 689IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 94mg, Iron: 3mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Appetizers & Snacks

Cuisine: American

This post was sponsored by Frigidaire