Butternut Squash Fries With Creamy Chipotle Sauce Recipe

French fries made from potatoes are a favorite for many, and with so many different kinds of fries to choose from, you may not have considered looking beyond potatoes when making this classic treat. Potatoes shine because they work really well in fries, but the lesser-known truth is many other vegetables work just as well. Sweet potato fries have become popular as an alternative to white potato fries, but there's another orange vegetable that you may not have considered: the humble butternut squash.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico brings us this recipe for butternut squash fries paired with a creamy chipotle dipping sauce. Whether you're limiting carbs or just open to trying something new, these butternut squash fries will give you the crispy crunch you crave while tantalizing your pallet with a new flavor in a fry. The fries are seasoned with a blend of spices to complement their natural taste, and the chipotle sauce provides a spicy, smoky highlight with a bit of citrus. This homemade chipotle sauce is quick to make in the food processor, and the taste is a big step above what you can buy prepared on the shelf. Read on to find out how you can make these delicious fries and their sauce in under an hour.

For the fries, first and foremost you'll need a butternut squash. Choose a medium-sized one that weighs about two pounds. It will need to be peeled, but there's a trick to make peeling a butternut squash easy. Just pop it in the microwave for three minutes before you start. The next ingredient is the secret to making crispy oven-baked fries: cornstarch. Finally, for the seasoning, you will need olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The defining ingredient of the dipping sauce is chipotle peppers. These are red vine-ripened jalapeño peppers that have been smoked and dried. This recipe calls for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which can be found in many supermarkets and grocers. The adobo sauce in which the peppers are canned adds another subtly sweet flavor boost to the finished product. For the creamy base, you'll need mayonnaise and sour cream. Lime juice, garlic, and salt add the finishing touch.

Preheat your oven to 425 F, and while it's warming up, slice the peeled butternut squash into stick shapes. The rounded lower part of this vegetable will make some of your fry shapes interesting. Cut the sticks about ⅜ inch wide, and try to make them all the same width so they bake and crisp up evenly.

Now you'll add the cornstarch, which will help your fries get extra crispy. After you place the cut butternut squash sticks into a large bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch on top. Toss the mixture well so the sticks get as evenly coated as possible with the cornstarch.

Add the rest of the ingredients — the oil, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper — into the bowl. Toss everything together well to evenly coat the butternut squash sticks in the seasoning mixture.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Arrange the butternut squash sticks in a single layer on the sheet. Take the time to make sure that none of the sticks are touching each other because that will cause them to steam and soften rather than bake up into crispy goodness. If you run out of space, use a second pan instead of crowding them together. Bake them for 25 to 35 minutes until the centers are soft and the outside is crispy and brown. Carefully flip them once after 15 minutes of baking.

Once the fries are baking, get started making the chipotle dipping sauce. First, place all of the sauce ingredients in the food processor.

Turn the food processor on to process the mixture. This won't take long. Stop once it's smooth and creamy.

Serve the butternut squash fries while they're still warm. Dip them into the creamy chipotle sauce for extra flavor. If you have any leftover sauce, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.