A new, popular food fad is to load up fries with delicious, creative toppings and sauces that go way beyond your average “chili cheese fries!” I saw a post on pinterest the other day for chicken tikka masala fries, and couldn’t resist! I mean, I should have at least tried–because I am trying to eat a little healthier as we go into this summer swim-suit season, but I made them anyway, and I was not sorry. Maybe because I decided to lighten the recipe up with oven-baked fries! I used my favorite bombay house chicken tikka masala as the base of this recipe– the fries are covered in the chicken tikka spices, and loaded up with creamy, delicious masala sauce and topped with some fresh cilantro. I served them with some sweet mango chutney, just to balance out out the flavors, and there were SO divine! I can definitely see why these are such a big craze lately! I hope you guys all love them too!
Ingredients for the tikka fries: {recipe adapted from sproutinghealthyhabits.com}
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp red pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
olive oil
6 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into desired fry size
{For the Masala Sauce}
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 {14.5oz} can tomato sauce
1-2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475degF. Parboil your fries in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and allow to dry. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Combine the salt, cumin, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl. Drizzle olive oil to coat the fries, then sprinkle 1/2 the tikka mixture on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the fries over, drizzle with more olive oil, season with more kosher salt, and the remaining tikka mixture then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until brown around the edges. If you want them crispier, leave them in a little longer. If you want them less spicy, halve the tikka mix! {Because they were pretty darn spicy!}
For the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute. Add the spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened, then add the cream: 1 cup for spicy, 2 cups for medium/mild!
Plate the tikka fries, then top with the masala sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, and sweet mango chutney.
