I consider Eric Ripert one of the best chefs working in America. If you’re unfamiliar with him, his restaurant, Le Bernardin, has held 4 New York Times stars since it opened, 20-odd years ago. That should provide a glimpse at his talent.

Sadly, I never saw his PBS series, Avec Eric. Our public television outlet doesn’t buy any show that costs more than about 22 cents. But I do have a copy of the companion book, also called Avec Eric. As you might guess, I refer to it often, either to make one of Ripert’s recipes, or just for inspiration.

This recipe comes right from the book. These “fries” make a good side dish, as an alternative to potatoes. But we usually just have them as snacks.

Truffle Aioli

2 large egg yolks

2 tbls fresh lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

½ cup canola oil

½ cup olive oil

2 tbls white truffle oil (approx.)

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Portobello “Fries”

4-6 portobello mushrooms

1 ½ cups dried bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

Canola oil for frying

Combine the yolks, lemon juice and garlic in a blender. With the blender on medium speed, drizzle the canola oil and olive oil into the yolk mixture in a slow steady stream until the aioli is emulsified and well blended. Season with the truffle oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl and set aside.

Trim the stems from the mushrooms, scrape out the gills, and gently wipe the mushroom caps with a damp cloth. Cut the mushroom caps into ½-inch-wide strips.

Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, salt and thyme in a shallow dish. Place the flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Toss the mushrooms strips in the flour to coat evenly, then dip them into the eggs and roll them in the bread crumb mixture.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, place the breaded mushroom strips in the hot oil and cook on all sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels. Serve hot with the aioli.