Butternut Squash Fries

Steak cut chips or fast food style French fries, this is a fabulous and healthy accompaniment to steaks and homemade burgers. The rich colour makes the presentation look exciting. I have even known guests to ask for the malt vinegar, they feel and look so much like real chips. Using the sweetness of the vegetable, the seasoning gives a Southern-style flavour that’s rather moreish

Serves 4

Ingredients
½ an extra-large butternut squash, body end, peeled
Olive oil
Ground paprika
Ground cayenne pepper
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Method
1. Cut the squash into chips or fries, for this I would take the peeled squash (body end rather than the rounded seed end). Slice it in half vertically to make more manageable. Then take each half and slice it again, vertically to the thickness required. Each slice is then slice horizontally, so each chip is the width of the vegetable, giving enough uniformity and length to look like real fries.
2. Spray a large baking tray lightly with olive oil, and lay out your chips as a single layer.
3. Spray the chips lightly with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle the paprika and cayenne pepper, then grind the salt and pepper over according to taste.
5. Place under a low to medium grill so that they cook through slowly before they brown. It should take around 30 mins to brown on one side.
6. Turn over, sprinkle more seasoning if you wish, and brown the other side. This should take a maximum of 10 mins.
7. Adjust the heat and shelf accordingly to ensure the chips cook through proper before browning and don’t burn while they remain al dente. This may take some practice and is dependent on your appliance. The aim is for these chips to be crispy outside but soft inside.