Fast Food Reversal

What if I told you that I have found a way to healthy-fy fast food like chicken tenders + ranch, potato wedges + ketchup, and chips? How about the fact that I beautified it? Or used molecular gastronomy to trick you into thinking that you were eating these but you really weren't.

Pork "tenders" with cream gravy, portobello mushroom "wedges" over ketchup
 and crispy kale garlic "chips"

Tonight I made "pork" tenders with cream gravy sauce, accompanied by portobello wedges with ketchup and crispy red Russian kale garlic chips. I knew it was a success when Jason, my husband, took a bite of each and thought he ate chicken with dipping sauce and potato wedges with ketchup. He was not fooled, unfortunately, by crispy kale due to familiarity, but the thin, crunchy texture of kale, along with its garlic salted flavor, reminded me of those potato chips that were always so addicting to me as a kid.

The trick to making the portobello mushroom resemble potato wedges is to grill the portobello for a few minutes first to give it a smoky, burnt flavor that will remind you of the slightly burnt taste of potato wedges. To ensure that the portobello softens enough on the inside while staying crunchy on the outside, I then dipped them in an egg batter and coated them with a thin layer of bread crumbs. Frying them for a few minutes that way will give you the potato wedge appearance and taste.

To much of my surprise and satisfaction, fast food reversal works!