Baked butternut squash and potato fries

Fall is a great time of the year for squash vegetables-butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and yellow squash. I bought a nice size butternut squash at the local farmer's market. I usually either make butternut squash soup or make a puree. As I saw a posting on facebook about squash, I asked what else I could make. I also saw online an article about making butternut squash fries. This seemed like a nice way to get my nephews to eat vegetables with them not even knowing they are eating vegetables. (Also since most kids like to eat french fries, I thought butternut squash would be a nice change). The article was telling you the way to make the fries without them coming out soggy and not crispy. The secret was to salt the butternut squash because salt will bring out the moisture. It says to soak them in salt water for 10 minutes then pat dry. After that I decided to salt a bit more and let them sit another 10 minutes. (You might think this would make the squash salty but it did not). Then place the potato and butternut squash fries on an baking sheet lined with foil and oiled. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and just turning brown, flip the fries over halfway during the baking. The result I got was crispier and crunchier fries. I gave one to my nephew and he thought they were sweet potato fries. This will be one of my kid friendly recipes I will have to keep in my recipe collection. Below is the recipe.

Butternut and Potato French Fries

Ingredients:
Top half of butternut squash, cut into thin matchsticks
2-3 potatoes, cut into thin sticks
salt
pepper
Cooking oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees F

2. Cut butternut squash and potatoes into thin sticks. Place in bowl with water. Salt the water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Drain water and pat the butternut squash and potato sticks dry with paper towels. Place in bowl and salt again. Let sit for another 10 minutes.

4. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the cooking oil all over the foil. Place the fries on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the fries with the cooking oil spray. Place in the preheated 400 degree F oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fries are crispy and lightly browned.

5. Take out of oven and let cool. Place in serving bowl and serve. If not serving immediately, just before serving reheat in 200 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until hot.