Many times, when I write about a recipe that employs frying, I feel almost apologetic. I’m sorry you have to use a lot of oil. I’m sorry that makes the recipe seem not so healthy. I’m sorry it takes longer to clean up. I’m sorry it’s intimidating! Perhaps most importantly these days: I’m sorry I don’t have an air fryer and didn’t test this in one.
The truth is, I still consider true frying — with proper technique, including tricks to minimize the absorption of oil, along with the mess — a foundational method that can result in simply delicious, even nutritious, food.
Take these chickpea fries. Made with chickpea flour and based on the panisses of southern France, they come together similarly to polenta fries: you cook up the porridge-like batter, chill it until firm, cut it into sticks, then fry.
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The keys are to use just 1 cup of oil in a Dutch oven, whose high sides prevent splattering, and to heat the oil to 350 degrees before you fry. The chickpea batons get crispy on the outside and stay custardy inside, and when you drain them well, the whole batch absorbs a mere 2 tablespoons of the oil. That puts them at only 1 gram saturated fat per serving — including the mayo dipping sauce.
Besides that sauce, which consists of mayonnaise whisked with preserved lemon, I love cookbook author Emma Zimmerman’s touch of sprinkles of chopped parsley (along with salt) on the hot fries.
Could you make these in an air fryer? I’m sure you could — there’s no way you’ll get the same kind of crust, but if it makes these more likely to show up in your kitchen, go for it. In the meantime, I’ll be over here frying, draining, dipping and crunching and munching — and this time, not apologizing.
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