OVEN ROASTED OKRA FRIES RECIPE

OK...so here is our first experiment with our okra harvest...of course, getting 2nd Man to actually like okra is a different story.  He promised to go into this with an open mind.  He still made a face though...

We had a big basket of okra (and a few jalapeños).  First thing I did was rinse them and pat them dry...

Then I chopped off the ends and tips, and sliced them lengthwise...

I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.  I went for simple this first time, but you could use any type of seasoning at this point...hot pepper, garlic, onion powder, cajun seasoning, whatever you like.  Then just move them around to make sure they are well coated.

Okra fries

Place them on a foil lined baking sheet in a preheated 450 degree oven...

...and bake them for about 30 minutes (that's how long I did ours), stirring them around occasionally.  Right after I took them out, I sprinkled with just a bit more salt, just to make sure they had a taste.

Oven roasted okra fries

What you end up with is this.  They are mostly dried, a combination of crispy crunchy but still somewhat soft.  You can bake them longer to dry them out a bit more but I liked how they came out being some crispy, some parts a bit tender.  Kind of like french fries in the oven, smaller ones get crispy, larger ones have crispy edges and tender centers.  You could easily let them go another 10 minutes to get them crispier.  It's really just whatever you like.

2nd Man really liked them.  Our only problem is that they were gone much too quickly! Of course I DID have to sample them as I was cooking... I mean, chef's prerogative, right? 

Again, we're experimenting with what we like and how to use the bounty the next time we grow them and this use will definitely go on the list.

Overall, a good choice.  

Enjoy!