But she can eat pumpkin, of all things. A cup of pumpkin, if she wants. NOT pumpkin pie, oh Lord, no -- nor pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cookies, or pumpkin ice cream. Just pumpkin. I'm sorry, but imagining a mass of pureed pumpkin on a plate doesn't do anything for me.
Time to be creative! I said to myself, "Self," I said, "what is a pumpkin like?" Well, it's kind of like a sweet potato. After all, you can use the same recipe to make sweet potato pie as you do for pumpkin pie. It's just a matter of substitution. "So, if you can make sweet potato fries, you should be able to make Pumpkin Fries, wot?" Well . . . maybe.
So, I got a big ol' jack-o-lantern pumpkin. Cut it in half and quartered the halves. Then I peeled one of the pieces and cut those pieces into strips the size of potato wedges. Tossed them in olive oil. Laid 'em out on a baking sheet. Seasoned with kosher salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. And then roasted in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or so. (18-20 minutes probably optimum here.)
Pumpkin Fries
Beauty shot
The verdict: pretty good, actually. Pumpkin is a very mild flavor, so the seasoning you add matters a lot. And they went very well with ketchup. Altogether, worth doing again. You heard it here first.
