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1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
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2
Place the butternut squash sticks in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
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3
Let the fries soak for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.
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4
Drain and thoroughly pat dry (the drier they are, the crispier they will be come snack time!
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5
).
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6
Toss the dried squash, olive oil, salt and sage on one or more parchment-lined baking sheets (give your fries room to breathe).
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7
Arrange in an even layer and roast in the oven until lightly browned, about 1015 minutes.
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8
Gently redistribute, then return to the oven and bake until firm and crispy, another 10 minutes.
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9
Drain on a paper towel or transfer directly to a parchment cone.
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10
Meanwhile, puree the ingredients for the aioli in a small food processor until smooth.
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Serve the warm fries immediately alongside the aioli.
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12
Note: I tend to buy slightly larger butternuts than usual, and always look for ones with the longest straightest shafts.
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13
Ill then cut it in half lengthwise, right above the bulb that contains the seeds.
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14
Ill save this part for another use since its less uniformly shaped and annoying to peel.
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15
Usually, I roast it in the oven and then scoop out the flesh for a puree or soup.
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16
With the remaining cylinder, I cut the top off, so I have two perfectly flat sides to work from.
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Then I stand it on the cutting board and shave the skin off with my chefs knife.
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This is way easier than using a peeler and trying to hold onto that slippery squash.
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You can then create thin planks, followed by matchsticks.
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20
Viola!
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If you soak the butternut squash matchsticks in cold water for 30 minutes, drain and pat dry, youll get an ever crispier fry!
