Fried Carrot Strings

 I came up with this garnish after watching a lot of Top Chef. I wanted to add something to the plate that would add some texture and be a little different. The first idea that popped into my head was fried carrot shoe strings. And I'm glad the idea did pop into my head, because it was really easy and delicious. I may make them as a healthy-ish snack in the future. The cayenne heat with the contrast of the carrots sweetness was really nice.

To shred the carrot you can use a peeler and then cut the peeled off pieces of carrot with a knife into thin sticks. They also have a zesting tool that looks like this that I think would do a good job much quicker.

To dredge the carrots I used wondra flour. Now I used to have a ton of doubts about wondra until I read the book "On the Line" about Le Bernadin restaurant with Eric Ripert. They use wondra to dredge their fish then blow off the excess and it gives them a thin crunchy crust. I figured if a three michelin star restaurant can do it, so can I. I tried out the wondra and it worked wonderfully! I plan to dredge with it again soon!

3 large Carrots, shredded
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup wondra flour

1. Shred carrots into shoe string shapes, allow to drain on a paper towel for a few minutes.

2. Dredge carrot strips in the wondra flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Make sure to dust off the excess flour.

3. Fry carrots in preheated pan of canola oil at 375. Don't have to use a lot of oil, have a sauce pan with 2 inches of oil at the bottom. Carrot strings will crisp up in about 20 seconds. Make sure they turn golden brown then remove quickly because they can burn fast.

4. Place the fried carrots on a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with a pinch of salt once finished. Put a bundle of carrots on top of dinner and enjoy!