- Laura Cognetti
Air Fryer Asparagus Fries
Three weeks before COVID-19 took over our daily lives, I was lucky enough to visit one of my closest friends, Stacey, in California. It was at the end of a week long work trip, and we only got one night together- but it was so needed! She took me to this great restaurant in Manhattan Beach called Nick's - our dinner was amazing, as were the cocktails. However one of the highlights of our meal, besides the conversation and laughs, were the asparagus fries. I had never had asparagus fries before, and from the first bite I was hooked. As with anything else, I began thinking about how I can recreate these at home.
When developing this recipe I thought about a bunch of different flavor combinations. Ultimately I wanted to keep the breading flavor profile as in line with a french fry as I could get. The Onion and Garlic Tableside Sprinkle is the perfect blend to make this recipe pop. Savory Spice Shop ships nationwide, so if you don't have one local I recommend checking out their website.
When creating this recipe I also debated how to cook the asparagus. Should I bake them, or air fry them? 99% of the time when I have that question the answer is to air fry. I love how you can get the benefits of frying without all the fat. I have found that sometimes when you bake something it can get really dry by the time it has finished cooking- especially a recipe like this where there is no extra moisture since the goal is a crispy outside. If you have read any of my other air fryer recipes you can tell how much I love mine. So if you are on the fence with getting one, I would definitely say do it.
I would love for you to give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for following along!~LC
As always, gather up all of your ingredients. Rinse and trim your asparagus. It is important to get off the woody end of the asparagus because it's very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Get your three stations ready to properly dredge the asparagus.
Dredge asparagus in flour mixture, then egg wash, and finally breadcrumbs. Make sure that the asparagus is well coated. Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees.
Once asparagus are dredged, spray with cooking spray. I really love avocado oil spray, but you can use whatever you prefer. Spray the basket of your preheated air fryer as well, and cook at 390 degrees for 10 minutes.
If you need to do your asparagus in batches, as I did - you can keep them warm in the oven. Place on a baking rack, and put in the oven on the lowest heat setting. If your oven doesn't have a low setting, turn the oven on while you start prepping everything, then turn off when you begin to cook asparagus. It'll still be hot enough to keep asparagus warm. When all asparagus are air fried, serve warm with dipping sauce of choice. I prefer them with horseradish remoulade, but ranch dressing is also a winner! Enjoy!
Air Fryer Asparagus Fries
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 Tablespoon on Savory Spice Shop Onion and Garlic Tableside Seasoning
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray
1. Rinse asparagus and cut off rough ends. Prepare three different stations. In the first combine flour, kosher salt and pepper; mix together. In the second, whisk egg and 3 Tablespoons of water. In the third, combine breadcrumbs, onion and garlic seasoning, and paprika.
2. Dredge asparagus in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumb mixture. Once all asparagus is coated, spray with cooking spray.
3. Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees. Spray basket with cooking spray. Place asparagus in air fryer basket in a single layer and cook at 390 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
Note: If you do not have Onion and Garlic Tableside Seasoning, please use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of onion powder. Also, if you must cook in batches due to basket size, you can keep asparagus fries warm by placing on a baking rack in the oven at the lowest heat.