Monday, November 2, 2009

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

I tried growing sweet potatoes this year, all the leaves that were growing on top of the dirt made me think they were doing well. After 120 days in the ground, I decided it was time to dig some up and see what was down there. Lots of roots, that’s about it. I was bummed.

I have been making sweet potato fries for years and had found a way that yielded pretty good results, but it involved carefully slicing into sticks and arranging on a baking sheet in a single layer with no two sticks touching. It was a high maintenance side dish that never was quite as crisp as I'd like. I admit to buying frozen packages of pre cut and fried sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s for convenience. They use cheap oils and give me a tummy ache.

This recipe evolved from regular potato oven fries when I decided to give sweet potatoes a try. PERFECTION. It helps to shop for potatoes with good shape and like in size. You know when a recipe calls for sucanat, you can substitute brown sugar, right? Probably works better because it will dissolve in the oil. I choose to avoid white and brown sugars where ever possible so I always list my alternative sweetener in my recipes.

3 lbs sweet potatoes or baking potatoes
1 tablespoon sucanat
1 dash cayenne
1 teaspoon homemade taco spice mix or chili powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, it helps to use convection. Wash and cut potatoes (no need to peel) into wedges of equal size. Combine sucanat, cayenne, taco seasoning, cornstarch and coconut oil (it will be clumpy, that’s okay), toss the wedges in mixture. Lay wedges on sheet pans in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Turn over with a spatula and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve. We usually do a “fry sauce” (mayo and ketchup) with a little horseradish. I am ready for a change. Please post a link or a recipe in the comments section for me to try.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's
Sweet Potato Oven Fries on Foodista

15 comments:

  1. Don't lose heart over your sweet potatoes. A friend planted hers and it was not until year 2 she had results (although her vines grew well prior to that too). She has been trying desperately this fall to use all of hers up because they have grown so well (she is here in the Valley).

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  2. YUM! Your recipe looks way better than the one i've got.
    Thanks!

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  3. I love using a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled over top, with a bit of chili-garlic mayo for dipping... deliciousness!

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  4. Bloody Mary Ketchup all the way. Good quality ketchup, dash of tabasco, squeeze of lime and sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Delish. Best friends with these wedges, a handful of baby rocket and a decent steak done on the barbie.

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  5. Yum. I'm so excited to try this recipe. I have failed twice when attempting to make sweet potato fries- I never get the right texture.

    Can I use arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch?

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  6. I've used the cornstarch trick for fried sweet potatoes, but not baked. I'm giving this a try next time, thanks!

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  7. Maybe I just didn't leave them in long enough. Next time I will plant sweet potatoes when I am pregnant so that they have a full year before I even think about them again.

    Rachel, I want your chili-garlic mayo recipe!

    I will try the arrowroot powder next time and let you know, I hadn't even thought of that.

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  8. We may be weird at our house but we like bbq sauce with our sweet potato fries...

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  9. We make homemade Aioli for our sweet potato fries. Yum!

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  10. What do you use in you use in your aioli?

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  11. kara i made these for my two year old and he LOVES them! i finally found a vegetable he will eat...but not only eat, devour. thank you! such a yummy recipe (like every one of your recipes...i have tried so many and not one has disappointed!)

    *i linked to this recipe on my blog

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  12. Yay! These are totally a favorite at my house, especially with my husband. The only vegetable he will admit that he likes. Thanks for the link.

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  13. Made these tonight. they were excellent!

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  14. These sound awesome! Can't wait to try!

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  15. Yum! These fries were a real treat. We tried fry sauce, and it just didn't seem to go right with them.So I got out some powdered Thyme, Turmeric and Cumin. Put the spices in little piles on a plate and dipped in them. Very good! I liked the turmeric best.

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It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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