Garlic Carrot Fries | Morcovi Prajiti cu Usturoi

Fries, fries, fries.  Everyone knows them.  But what if you wanted to surprise your family or guests with something different?  Introducing "Garlic Carrot Fries" - the sweetness of the carrots, the flavor of the fried garlic, and the same texture as the fries, all blended in a novel combination.  Serve alongside a good steak, and you've got yourself a winning combination!

Ingredients:
 - 1 pound of baby carrots (cut and peeled)
 - 1 head of garlic (mashed)
 - 1 cup of fresh dill or parsley (chopped)
 - Cooking oil
 - Spices: salt and pepper
 - [optional] 3 tablespoons of flour or baking powder

Preparation:
 - Bring water to a boil in a pot.  Add the baby carrots, and boil them for 7 minutes.
 - Remove the carrots, and place in a colander to discard extra water.  Leave there for 5-10 minutes.  Further rub them with a paper towel to remove extra water (it tends to be unruly and jumpy when in contact with the heated oil following soon).
 - Optional: if you want a nice crunchier crust, coat the baby carrots with flour or baking powder.
 - In a frying pan, heat some cooking oil (use high heat).
 - Carefully add the baby carrots, and fry for about 7 minutes.
 - Add the mashed garlic, the chopped dill or parsley, and the spices.  Fry for another 15-20 seconds.
 - Remove the baby carrots from the pan, and place them on a paper towel to help remove extra cooking oil.
 - Serve as soon as possible (or the crust might soften up).

Presentation:
 - The recipe has some beautiful orange and green colors from the ingredients.  I opted to serve it in a blue martini grass to further add another colorful dimension to the presentation.
 - An extra dash of fresh chopped dill or parsley can further help both the flavor and the presentation.  And, if you like garlic, so would a dash of fresh mashed garlic.