Smoked Paprika Winter Squash Fries are one of my new fall obsessions. I’m always trying new ways of using up the winter squash that I so diligently buy too much of and have to figure out how to use up before spring shows up again. Coupling that with a desire to eat healthier, I thought using at least one of the winter squash I’ve gotten stashed in the garage as a side dish to my lunches this week would be a good idea. I started out thinking I’d use the red Kuri squash, but honestly, I’m currently hoarding that one for the perfect recipe and squash fries just aren’t it, so I used the last of my honey nut squashes instead. The advantage of using something like a honey nut or butternut squash for this is that they are pretty easy to peel and slice and you won’t be in danger of a major knife accident.
Smoked paprika is my other new fall obsession. I love the dark red color it lends to food and the very smoky and peppery taste. I’ve been using it to flavor everything, from soup to baked chicken to these smoked paprika winter squash fries. I’m eyeing several of the other squashes that are currently on the shelf to make even more of these. They are a great accompaniment to the mini baked “fried” green cherry tomato recipe I posted earlier this week, especially if you make po boys with the tomatoes. These would also be lovely served with a homemade ketchup, especially if you have any green tomato ketchup sitting around.
Smoked Paprika Winter Squash Fries
1 whole winter squash, peeled
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the squash into sticks or wedges. Place in a bowl and add the smoked paprika, salt and olive oil. Combine. Turn out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the fries half way through.
Enjoy!
