Baked Kabocha Fries

I thought about naming this recipe something more generic, like baked pumpkin fries. But I chose a more specific name to highlight this pumpkin variety that makes extraordinary fries (or chips if you prefer UK English).

Kabocha is a variety of winter squash (pumpkin) belonging to Ayote family that includes: hubbard, buttercup, Hokkaido and the 28 different varieties of Kabocha. The Kabocha pumpkin is ideal for baking/roasting because of the dry flesh and sweet flavors reminiscent of chestnuts or potatoes that intensify when cooked. Feel free to use any of the varieties mentioned above to make this recipe.

Butternut squash and the bright red/orange Hokkaido also work well if you keep the skin intact while cooking – don’t worry the skins are perfectly edible and quite tasty.

I like using 2-3 different varieties in this recipe. I think the different colors and textures look and taste amazing – it’s quite a festive Autumn appetizer. I serve baked kabocha fries with soy sour cream or spicy tahini sauce to dip the wedges in – either way is sensational.

Difficulty: simple
Yield: makes about 4 appetizer servings