MAPLE CHICKPEA AND SWEET POTATO FRIES

CANNED CHICKPEAS, SAY WHAT?! Can canned goods look this good? YES.

If you’re stuck wondering WTF to do with those stacks of cans of chickpeas that doesn’t taste so, “the same”, this is it! They are a touch maple-y, a nice balance of chickpea to sweet potato flavor, filling, interesting and, well, definitely different (which is exactly what I need right now). Enjoy!

UPDATE. I’ve made these so many times now and each time, I play with the size of them. They work great at all sizes! I love the big tater tot feeling ones for the softer texture in the middle but then again the thin ones that look more like fries are soft in the middle too. That said, the thin ones have a nice balance between crunch on the outside and soft inside. It’s really all about what mood you’re in.

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MAPLE CHICKPEA AND SWEET POTATO FRIES

Yield: 10 Oversized "Fries"

Author: Michelle Williams

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

• Sweet Potato (1, medium, peeled and chopped)
• Chickpeas (1 15.5oz can)
• Fresh Sage (6 big leaves, chopped)
• Vidalia Onion (2 tbsp, chopped)
• Shredded Mozzarella (3 tbsp)
• Panko (2/3 cup)
• Grade A Maple Syrup (4 tbsp)
• Salt + Pepper to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 tbsp)

KITCHEN ITEMS

• Saucepan With Lid
• Strainer
• Peeler
• Food Processor
• Rubber Spatula
• Cutting Board
• Chefs Knife
• Small Frying Pan
• Baking Sheet
• Silpat

Instructions

TO MAKE YOUR SWEET POTATOES

1. Preheat your oven to 450º.
2. Put your chunks of sweet potato into your saucepan.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add about an inch of water into the pan. Cover with your lid and cook over medium heat until softened—about 10 minutes. To test if they are soft enough, stick a steak knife into a large chunk and if it dips in easily and comes out just as easily, it’s ready!

TO PREP YOUR ONIONS

1. Over medium-high heat, drizzle your 1 tbsp of olive oil into your small frying pan.
2. Once your oil is hot, add in your onions. To test if your oil is hot, drop in a piece of onion, when it sizzles, it’s ready.
3. Use your spatula to move them around consistently until softened—about 3 minutes.

TO PREP YOUR CHICKPEAS

1. Strain and wash your chickpeas. Season them with salt and pepper. Mix them up so that all of your chickpeas are well seasoned. Transfer them to your food processor.
2. Add your sweet potatoes.
3. Add your onions, sage, mozzarella, and maple syrup then blend for about 30 seconds. The texture you are looking for is a smooth AND chunky. You don’t want to fully puree this mixture. The chunks help make a great texture in the final ‘fry”.
4. Mix in your panko using your spatula.
5. As you would when making a meatball, use your hands to mush together evenly sized sticks and place them on your Silpat lined baking sheet. My process here was to ball them and then work that ball into a rectangle. From there, I put it on the Silpat lined baking sheet and finished flattening it out (it’s far easier than it sounds).
6. Bake for 25 minutes.

Notes

You can choose the style of fry you are going for here! Do you prefer thin and long or a thicker wider fry? Make it!

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