Zucchini Fries with Sweet Onion Sauce

It's football season! That means camping on the couch, goofy rituals for good luck, and delicious finger foods for snacking.  Our team (Dallas Cowboys) hasn't done as well as we would like this year. They are 2-3 and two of the three losses were to teams who aren't known for being challenges. Maybe one day, our home team will start playing the way they did back when they were legends.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest one day and thought it looked like a great alternative to french fries for burgers. I was completely right.  This recipe is highly reminiscent of the famous Bloomin' Onion from Outback Steakhouse. The zucchini doesn't get as crispy as fries, but is much healthier, tastier, and prettier than its potato counterpart.   The recipe is from King Arthur Flour. I highly recommend the sweet onion dipping sauce. If you don't feel like getting that fancy, these fries taste great with your favorite salad dressing.

Tip: when I cut my zucchini,  I slice it in half, then stand the halves on end.  I then cut the half into 9 pieces (make 2 horizontal cuts and 2 vertical cuts). this gives the perfect size zucchini fry.

Ingredients

Fries
3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into sticks
1 Tbsp salt
1 c coarse, dry bread crumbs (panko works best but regular will do just fine)
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 eggs, beaten

Dip 
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp mustard
1 c mayo (not Miracle Whip)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Dip
1. Melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in onions and cook until very soft and brown from caramelization. Remove from heat and stir in cider vinegar.

2.  Pour the onions into a food processor with honey, mustard, mayo, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fries
1. Place zucchini in colander and sprinkle with salt.  Allow to sit for 1 hour. Pat dry.

2. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning.

3. Prepare a baking sheet by laying down parchment paper and spraying with oil.

4. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, then tossing in breadcrumbs to coat. Place on prepared pan.

5. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes, flip, then bake another 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

6. Serve warm with chilled sweet onion dip.

Tell me, who's your favorite football team? Are you proud of how they are doing this year? Leave your answer in the comments!