'Turkey' Jackfruit Loaded Fries
Okay, these loaded fries are genuinely one of our favourite things we've ever put on the BOSH! site. We make them whenever we want something seriously indulgent but still totally plant-based, and they never fail to impress. The jackfruit gets roasted with sage, thyme and garlic until it's got this incredible pulled, meaty texture that tastes uncannily like turkey, and then you pile it all over crispy fries with lashings of sauce. It's the kind of thing you'd order at a great American diner and not believe was vegan. Make these tonight, trust us on this one.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Lasagne dish
- Fine sieve
- Drain & pat jackfruit dry before cooking
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 x 400g can(s) of jackfruit
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 2 carrots
- 2 red onions peeled
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 2 clove garlic cloves
- 1 leek - washed
- 2 celery stick - washed
- 240ml plant-based white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon juice of
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 240ml vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- oven fries
- 4 dollops of cranberry sauce
- plant-based mozzarella - cut into small 1cm cubes (we used Violife)
- fresh parsley finely chopped
Method
Prepare the jackfruit
- Drain the jackfruit and wash the pieces under the cold tap
- Pat the washed pieces dry with a clean tea towel
- Pour the jackfruit into the lasagne dish
- Drizzle the olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, dried sage, onion powder, garlic powder and dried thyme over the jackfruit pieces and use your hands to mix everything together making sure the jackfruit is well covered in the flavourings
- Put the dish in the oven and bake the jackfruit for 40 minutes, turning the jackfruit every 20 minutes
- Shred the jackfruit once cooked and set aside
Make the gravy
- To make the gravy chop the carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, leek and celery into large pieces
- Heat oil in a frying pan, once hot add the veg in batches
- Sauté until golden and caramelised but not burnt
- Stir in the flour then cook for 1 more minute, then deglaze the pan (meaning make the sauce by adding wine to the cooking juices) with white wine then turn the heat down low
- Transfer to a saucepan and add the soy sauce, miso and lemon, herbs and vegetable stock
- Allow to simmer and reduce 20 minutes
- Pass the gravy through a fine sieve into another saucepan. Reduce the gravy a little bit more if needed
- Meanwhile, cook your oven chips to the packet instructions
Assemble the dish and dig in
- Put the oven chips on a sharing plate, layer with the jackfruit, then top with the gravy
- Now add dollops of cranberry sauce with cubed mozzarella (while hot, to make sure they melt)
- Lastly, sprinkle over some fresh parsley and dig in
Tips & Variations
- Dry it properly: We can't stress this enough. Pat the jackfruit as dry as you can before it goes in the oven. The drier it is, the better that caramelised, meaty texture will be. A clean tea towel works better than kitchen paper here.
- Make it your own: Henry always adds a pinch of smoked paprika to the jackfruit seasoning for a bit of extra depth. It's not in the original recipe but it works really well, so give it a go.
- Fry situation: If you want to take these over the top, use chunky homemade oven fries instead of shop-bought. Just toss thick-cut potato wedges in oil and salt and roast at 200°C for 35 minutes. Absolute game changer.
Why This Works
The trick here is really taking your time with the jackfruit in the oven. Drying it properly before roasting is key because any moisture will steam it instead of giving you that lovely caramelised, pulled texture. The combo of dried sage, thyme and onion powder is what does the heavy lifting flavour-wise, giving you those classic savoury, herby notes that make your brain think 'turkey' even though it's 100% plants.