Eggplant Fries —rsquo; The Side Dish That Earned a Spot on the Rotation

Week 317. Spring in Baton Rouge. The azaleas blooming, the crawfish running, the pit smoking. Luc's semester update from LSU (making Dean's list), pan-fried fish. The ordinary week that is not ordinary because no week is ordinary when you\'re paying attention. Every Tuesday has a flavor. Every Wednesday has a color. Every Thursday has a roux that turns a shade darker than the Thursday before, and the darkening is the living, and the living is the cooking, and the cooking is everything.

Made a dish that the family loved and that I\'ll add to the rotation: the kind of food that doesn\'t need a story because the food IS the story, told in butter and cayenne and the particular love that goes into a meal made by a man who has been making meals for seven years and who still, STILL, finds something new in the old techniques. The new is in the old. The old is in the new. The roux turns. The week ends. The food remains.

The dish I mentioned — the one the family loved, the one going straight into the rotation — was these eggplant fries. Eggplant is one of those ingredients that feels native to a Louisiana spring, and when you coat it right and season it with enough cayenne to mean something, it becomes the kind of side that outshines the main. Luc was home that week and went back for thirds, which is the only review that matters around here.

Eggplant Fries

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch sticks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying (or olive oil spray for oven method)

Instructions

1. Prep the eggplant. Peel and cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch fry-shaped sticks. Lay them on a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let sit 10 minutes to draw out moisture. Pat dry.
2. Set up your dredging station. Place flour in one shallow bowl, beaten eggs in a second, and combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a third.
3. Coat the eggplant. Dredge each stick in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then press firmly into the breadcrumb mixture to coat all sides evenly.
4. Cook. For frying: heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F. Fry in batches 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp. Drain on a wire rack. For oven: arrange on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spray generously with olive oil, and bake at 425°F for 18–22 minutes, flipping once halfway.
5. Serve immediately. These are best straight from the heat. Serve with remoulade, ranch, or a simple garlic aioli.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 480mg