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Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Heavenly (Keto) Fries


 


When doing keto there are a lot of foods I miss. One is the starchy foods like rice or potatoes that tend to round out a meal. I have found decent substitutes for most things and though I am not a French fry connoisseur, I occasionally like them. When I saw this recipe for keto fries on the Youtube site Heavenly Fan I thought I might try it. Then I saw an updated version on KetoFocus YouTube channel. She had used the original recipe and done some experimenting to see if she could make them a little tastier. I am all about someone else experimenting for me

Heavenly Fan had two different recipes for making them and I will share both, since I tried both recipes.



This photo has some of both recipes. You can't even tell which is which by the color since I cooked both recipes to different levels of doneness as a taste/feel comparison.


#1. 100 grams almond flour (about  1 1/8 cups)
      3 teaspoons xanthan gum
      6 tablespoons hot water
      22 drops mashed potato flavoring*
      1/3 teaspoon salt
      Oil for frying **

Mix the almond flour and xanthan gum, Add the hot water then stir like crazy to mix everything well. When it is all mixed add 20 drops mashed potato flavoring and the salt. I found I had to mix it with my hands very well. Make a ball and let it rest in a covered bowl for about 15 minutes. I did not read the directions or watch the video so I let it rest about 7 minutes and it was fine. 

Put the dough ball in the center of two sheets of parchment. mash it down in the most rectangular shape you can manage, then using a rolling pin roll it a little less than 1/4 inch thick.***  Once the dough was rolled out I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough in about 1/4 inch wide strips, which I then cut in half, just to make them look a little more like the fries I would have made from potatoes.

Heat a skillet with about 2/3 inch of oil. I used avocado oil because it has a pretty high smoking point (not necessary) Heat the oil somewhere between medium and low. It has to be low enough for the center to cook through, but high enough for the outside to crisp up.  Put just a few at a time in the pan and cook to a golden brown on the bottom.  I used small tongs to turn them very gently when it came time to flip them. After the flip you do not have to be as gentle with them. When they are nice and golden remove from the heat and drain on paper towels. Continue cooking until they are all done, enjoy.

#2. 50 grams coconut flour (about 1/2 cup)
      3 teaspoons xanthan gum
     7-8 tablespoons hot water
      22 drops mashed potato flavoring
      1/3 teaspoon cajun seasoning (I used Slap Your Mama)

The directions are the same as the almond flour one, except the dough does not roll quite as smooth and you will have a few ragged edges.

The verdict? I actually like the coconut one best, but I think it was because I put the cajun seasoning in it, and I do love a bit of spice in my food. TheHub was my guinea pig and tried both without knowing which was which. He also preferred the coconut flour ones, but again I think the flavor profile with the cajun seasoning was a little tastier. The consistency of the almond flour was smoother but did not affect the taste or consistency of the cooked "fries"
I ate them with a little sugar free ketchup and was pretty darn pleased with them.

After I had them all cooked and blotted, I placed them  in a single layer on a parchment lined jelly roll pan and stuck them in the freezer. Once they froze I put them in a ziplock freezer bag. I think I should be able to pull out a few and heat them in the air fryer, but that is an experiment I have not tried yet. Hopefully I will sometime this week.

I also read in a comment on one of the Youtube videos that you could omit the flavoring and salt, then dust them with a sugar substitute like Swerve which has been mixed with a sprinkle of cinnamon for a ketofied churro. I might try it using the coconut flour, but that is for sometime in the future. 

If you are counting carbs or doing keto, give it a try. You might like love it like I did!


** Avocado oil is a neutral flavored oil. I think next time (if I remember to buy some) I might use a teaspoon or two of beef tallow. I think it would improve the flavor.  Now ask me if I have ever bought beef tallow before and the answer would be a big resounding no. I am not even sure where to find it. Amazon probably.

** *When rolling the dough out put the parchments on a large cutting board, roll it out and cut it on the board. That way you can carry the board to the stove top and put the dough directly into the oil instead of doing what I did. The first recipe I made I put the parchment directly on the countertop and transferred the strips to a plate before putting them in the hot oil. They are a little delicate and can break so move them as little as possible.

31 comments:

  1. I didn't know that mashed potato flavoring was a thing! Sound really interesting -- need to get some of that. And I'm all for cajun seasoning -- love the stuff. These look really interesting. I'm not on a keto diet, but kind of want to try these. Thanks!

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    1. It was a fun experiment that I honestly thought would be a total failure.
      OOO flavors has flavorings for almost everything. I am going to try rye flavoring in a chaffle (keto speak for an almost bread product) for a Ruben sandwich

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  2. Google blogger is really annoying..how come I was anonymous again?
    Interesting recipes! They look like bread sticks rather than fries to me though.
    angiesrecipes
    http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

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    1. Amazingly they had the mouth feel and taste of fries. They are made from a dough, so they are going to look doughish.

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  3. Mashed potato flavouring caught my eye. Thanks for the link. I am so glad that this experiment worked for you - and worked well.

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    1. I like a keto experiment that goes well, since a lot of them are a flat out bust.

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  4. I would hate giving up potatoes, but this is a good alternative.

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    1. It is only a good alternative if you are doing zero potatoes!

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  5. Tom's the only fan of mashed potatoes/fries -- and doesn't care about carbs, so I'm off the hook. Sounds really labor-intensive (i.e., intimidating)

    I'm so taken with this 000 Flavorings website. Tom just walked outside, probably tired of hearing me go, "Oh, wow!" every few seconds. I'll definitely be ordering; wouldn't they make dear little stocking stuffers? Woot!

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    1. It is not as labor intensive as it seems. It took me about 2 minutes to mix it together. Rolling and cutting was easy using the pizza cutter. The actual frying was the worst part.

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  6. Mashed potato flavoring is completely new to me! :)

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  7. Luckily, I'm not eating Keto so I can enjoy a traditional fry then and again. But I'm amazed with recipes that people come up with when they need a substitute ingredient for a recipe. People are either very clever or experiment a lot. Or maybe both.

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    1. I think there are people who experiment all the time. I will take their successes and change it slightly to suit our tastes.

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  8. I've never heard of mashed potato flavoring until today! I'm glad you tried the recipe and it turned out well for you. :) And you've reminded me that I haven't had any fries (or mashed potatoes) in at least a couple of months (which is a long time for me!) :D

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  9. I'm definitely too lazy to put that much work into making faux fries. But then again, I don't make homemade fries from potatoes either. It's good there is an option for those who do keto.

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    1. I know I can maintain a keto lifestyle without these experiments but it is nice to find alternatives that actually taste very much like an original product. I never made fries at home from potatoes either since I could buy them on the rare occasion I wanted them.

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  10. I hear that McD is not cut potatoes, just a blend and they also use beef in the fry. Interesting experiment.

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  11. Hi Anne! Interesting, I'd love to try one. And mashed potato flavoring, my hubby says he thought that was gravy when I told him. I'd give the flavoring a try though! Thanks for coming to my blog! Things have changed with blogger since I was here and I accidentally deleted your comment. I'd love it if you'd come back and say Hi! Hope you have a good weekend!

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  12. Sounds wonderful. I'm not doing keto but I like the sound of those recipes! Thanks for that!

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  13. You are diligent with keto. I know I need to reduce carbs, but struggle with any meal prep lately so these seem complex.

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    1. They were much easier than they sound, but I understand meal prep struggles. It's real.

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  14. Roll Tide today!!!!! Cindy in the South

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