Would a healthier version, lightly pan fried, then baked in the oven work too?

I haven't done this specific version, but it's basically a variation (spices/sauce) of 'Panisses' - a popular traditional Provencale dish, which I've made many times. I've always pan (not deep) fried them, only putting them in the oven to keep warm when doing a big batch. They do fine that way. I use David Liebovitz's recipe: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/panisses-1/

Definitely. There is no reason to deep fry these if you don't want to. Just get the outside of the fries crisp and then put in the oven.