Baked Asparagus Fries with Roasted Garlic Lemon Dipping Sauce

Baked Asparagus Fries and Roasted Garlic Lemon Dipping Sauce

I am all about adapting, and I think anyone who’s followed my blog knows this by now. My husband came home with some more beautiful, thin asparagus yesterday, and I also happened across a Pinterest post for baked asparagus “fries” with various homemade dipping sauces. Not having half the ingredients on hand didn’t stop me though. I chose the sauce I could actually make without having to run to the store. The process of making this really wasn’t all that long or tedious. I just loved the way the house smelled after roasting the garlic! Both my husband and daughter came out of the woodwork to ask me what I was making as the aroma wafted into their respective hiding places. We had some leftover steak and lasagna to use up, so we all chowed on these fries with our main course of choice.

Roasted Garlic Lemon Dipping Sauce

1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Baked Asparagus Fries

1 egg white
1/2 bunch of fresh thin asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup fine seasoned bread crumbs (or seasoned Panko)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper to taste
Spray olive oil

If your asparagus is not thin, then I would recommend slicing them in half lengthwise. Both recipes above use one egg, so start out by separating the egg yolk and white into two separate bowls. Next, place 1 1/2 tablespoons of jarred minced garlic in a small oven-proof bowl and roast at 350 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, then using the back of a spoon, crush the minced garlic into a paste. Add it to the bowl with the egg yolk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper. (I broke down and did use a little sea salt in this, as it really needed it. I figured the amount of salt was minimal for my husband, especially since it would be used as just a dipping sauce.) Whisk really well until fully combined. Put it in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Meanwhile, relax and enjoy a beverage of choice for a bit while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees. After your refreshment, whisk that egg white in the other bowl until frothy. On a plate, combine the flour, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese,  garlic powder and pepper. Dip the asparagus spears into the egg white, then dredge through the bread crumb mixture until well coated. Place on  your largest spray-oil foil-lined baking sheet, then spray some more oil over all of them. You’ll lose some of the coating in this process, but don’t worry about it. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce. It became apparent when I took them out of the oven I missed some spots with the oil, but nonetheless these were a HUGE hit!

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