I normally buy asparagus from a grocery store, but when I’m making this Baked Asparagus Fries, I get my asparagus from Costco. The Costco Asparagus is the perfect one to use because they’re bigger and thicker. When I saw those asparagus, I immediately thought of Asparagus Fries. So as you can already probably tell, were using asparagus instead of regular potato to make this fries. There are different ways and style in how you can make it, I’ll show you my process, and some helpful tips to get the nice crunch on the breading.

Tips to Making Crunchy Crispy NOT Greasy Asparagus Fries:

1. Choose the right size of Asparagus: Use a big and think kind of asparagus so that they don’t get too mushy when you bake it. Plus, it looks better and more appetizing. It also holds the shape better so you get a nice long stick per piece.
2. Use panko bread crumbs and pre- baked it:  Panko Bread crumbs have a different texture than regular bread crumbs. It’s lighter, whiter and more flakey. They will give a nicer crunch when you coat and bake the asparagus. You MUST pre-bake the bread crumbs to give it the nice browning even before using it to coat the asparagus. You will only need 10-12 minutes to bake the asparagus, or even less if you really want it crunchy. So having the panko bread crumbs pre-baked will give and even browning.
3. Deep pan:I find that it’s easier to use a deep loaf pan when doing the coating. I use loaf pan that is almost the size of my asparagus so that the asparagus don’t get blended when I dip it into the mixture, and it also helps in even coating. The deeper the pan, the better because it easier to pick the coating to cover the asparagus. If you decide to use a cookie sheet to hold the bread crumbs, make sure to NOT roll the asparagus when coating it. Rolling the asparagus can make the bread crumbs wet and it will clump together. Pick the bread crumb using your hands and sprinkle around the asparagus.
4. Shake the extra egg off:To avoid the coating mixture from getting wet with egg make sure to shake off the excess egg coating before dipping it into the mixture. The egg mixture is just there to allow the coating to stick. So as long as the asparagus is fully wet, that should do.
5. Don’t touch!You don’t want those nice coating removed, so avoid touching the body of the asparagus when transferring to the pan. Transfer it by lifting it at both ends. If some coating stick to your fingers, just sprinkle some panko bread crumbs in the open area to cover it.
6. Do not overbake: Just like regular potato fries, you don’t want this Asparagus fries to be soggy and mushy. The length of time could slightly vary depending on the size and thickness of the asparagus. As long as the egg coating is already dry, the should do it. Mine taste great at 10-12 minutes, it’s not over baked and mushy, and it still have a slight crunch.  

Only 6 tips to remember, I assure you that if you follow these 6 tips, you’ll sure to have a nice crunchy looking Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries.

This is best served with cream based dipping sauce. I used my favorite yogurt sauce and it was amazing, I imagine it will also be nice with caesar dressing or aioli sauce. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• cooking Oil Spray
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 400g Asparagus Stalks, trimmed (try to choose the regular stalks as opposed to slim or extra thick stalks)
• 1 large Egg, whisked
• 1/3 cup All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 teaspoon Chili Flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

Flavoring Options:

• Baked Parmesan Garlic Asparagus Fries: Add 3/4 tsp garlic powder, adjust depending on how strong you want the garlic flavor
• Baked Parmesan BBQ Asparagus Fries:Add 1 tsp BBQ powder or Mexican Taco seasonings.
• Baked Parmesan Cheese Asparagus Fries:Add 1 tsp strong cheese powder seasonings, adjust depending on how strong you want the garlic flavor

Note: If you don’t like it spicy, reduce or omit the peppers, but bear in mind that asparagus on it’s own taste bland so if you don’t season the coating mixture well, it will not be as good.

Instructions: