It’s November!! I can’t believe I am not posting a holiday themed recipe, but these Vegan Gluten-Free Dragon Fries are too dreamy not to share, so I wanted to get them posted right away!
The Inspiration!
The inspiration for these Dragon Fries came last spring when I was in Halifax for a conference (no, sadly the conference was not food related). But, I did have time to check out some of the veg-friendly restaurants in the city, and I was very impressed!
I went to Heartwood, enVie, and and Wild Leek! I enjoyed them all for different reasons.
Heartwood kind of reminded of an “old-school” vegan restaurant — lots of bowls, for example. There is still something comforting about a big bowl of brown rice, roasted veg and tofu, and peanut sauce.
EnVie was lovely — I had Tacos one night, and the Pad Thai another night.
My last visit was Wild Leek, and O.M.G. I went around lunchtime, so I had a vegan omelette which was so fun to be able to order! It was good, but nothing compared to the Dragon Fries I had next to it. These fries were HEAVEN.
When I got home, I knew I had to try making the sauce.
I only had the Dragon Fries at Wild Leek once, and I didn’t get testing until a couple months after my trip. So, this recipe is definitely no “copy-cat” but rather inspired by the delicious dish
What are in the Vegan Gluten-Free Dragon Fries?
The base of this dish is, of course, fries! These aren’t typical fries, though. I used russet potatoes and cut them nice and thin, and then got them really nice and crunchy in a hot oven. YUM. This dish would definitely be yummy with roasted baby potatoes, or even hash browns for brunch!
The next step is the sauce. It is creamy from the tahini and non-dairy milk, tangy from the miso and apple cider vinegar, the nooch adds a depth to the flavours, and it is thickened with tapioca starch.
Then it’s all topped with pickled hot peppers, green onions, and sesame seeds. Don’t skimp out on these toppings!
How to make the sauce for these vegan gluten-free dragon fries?
So, the sauce is complicated but also easy. It may cause a little stress the first time you try it (it did for me) but I promise it comes together!
All the ingredients get blended together, and then the sauce gets cooked slowly and the tapioca starch thickens it up.
You’ll want to cook it in a small/medium sauce pan on medium to low heat (but closer to medium heat). It’s going to take a while to thicken, that is normal! You might be standing there thinking, okay is this ever going to come together? But it does!
You’ll need to stir constantly, and then you’ll notice it will start to thicken at the bottom. Start stirring a little more vigorously. It might be a little chunky as it starts to thicken, this is normal. Keep stirring and you’ll know it’s done when it’s kind of glossy, thickened, and smooth. The whole process takes me about 12-14 minutes.
Are you ready to make these? I mean — look at that close up!
You might not use all the sauce. But it is so delicious on other things. Try it on a bowl with roasted vegetables and brown rice, or in a “Buddha Bowl” like dish!
You could always make this for dinner, then have it all over again both with browns in the morning?
Want more delicious vegan gluten-free sides featuring potatoes? Check these out!
- 1 lb russet potatoes, about 2-4 potatoes
- 1.5 tbsp oil, canola or olive
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 1/2 cup nooch (nutritional yeast)
- 1 tbsp miso
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp neutral tasting oil, like canola
- 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
- 1/3-2/3 cup pickled hot peppers
- green onion, for garnish
- sesame seeds, for garnish
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Preheat your oven to 400 degree Farenheit and line two baking sheets (or one very large one) with parchment paper.
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Slide the potatoes into thin wedges. Soak the wedges in a bowl of cole water for about 10 minutes.
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Drain the potatoes, and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
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Clean and dry your bowl, then put your potato wedges back in. Toss them with the oil and salt and pepper.
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Spread the wedges onto the baking sheets, making sure that the potatoes don't overlap too much.
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Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the wedges. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the wedges are cooked through and crispy. This will depend on how thick you cut your wedges.
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I like to make the sauce after I have flipped my potatoes.
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Blend all the ingredients until smooth then place into a small/medium saucepan over medium/low heat (closer to medium than to low).
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Stir consistently with a spatula.
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It will take some time to start thickening -- this is usual for tapocia starch in recipes like this. You'll notice that it's starting to thicken when it gets lumpy/thick at the bottom of the pan. At this point, you can turn the heat down slightly, and you'll want to stir it constantly as it thickens. Don't worry if it is a little lumpy or feels like its taking too long. It will smooth out and you stir it and it cooks. This process took me about 12-14 minutes.
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Leave on low heat, stirring every few minutes, until ready to use.
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Generously top the baked wedges with the sauce. Garnis with hot pickled peppers, green onions, and white sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot!
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Definitely worth the time it takes to make this sauce! Love those flavours!
Thanks, Elaine! 🙂
Oh nice! I live in Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax, and though I’m not vegan, I enjoy enVie. I’ve not been to Wild Leek yet though! Looks like I’ll have to remedy that. Your fries look amazing!
Oh you should definitely try it and get the Dragon Fries! They are so yum! 🙂
Love it when you can create meals out at home! These look heavenly!! I know I’d devour a huge plate – perfect for weekend eats! Extra green onion and hot pepper for me! YUMMMM!
Thank you! I also load mine with extra toppings 🙂 you can never go wrong with more hot peppers and green onions!!
These look so good, and that sauce, yum! I’m always looking for some vegan dishes to add to our weekly meal plan, so these are perfect.
Thanks, Joss! I hope you like them 🙂
I find I am often inspired by lovely restaurant food. 🙂 These fries sound great! I have tried a version similar that were Pad Thai inspired. And you are right about the crispy factor of the potatoes! That is KEY. 🙂
Oh Pad Thai fries!! okay, that might just have to be next!! Thank you!
These sound so interesting, and they look delicious.
Dragon fries are indeed amazing, this is a great version!
Thank you, Dan!