I have a special place in my heart for French Fries but give me a plate full of freshly harvested sweet potatoes that have been converted to oven-fries and I would easily find myself torn.
The reason I specifically say freshly harvested – as in pulled from the ground a day or two before reaching a vendor’s stall – is because the sweet potatoes are at their peak of sweetness then, they are starchy, floury and tender when cooked. These qualities I find make them exceptionally delicious as fries.
The ‘recipe’ for making these fries has no specific amounts, just oven temperature and cooking time.
Photo by Cynthia Nelson
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: sheet pan
INGREDIENTS
- Sweet potatoes
- Vegetable/Canola oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, removing the dirt. Pat dry and cut into wedges or thin strips, like French Fries. Transfer to sheet pan. Generously drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread out the sweet potatoes so that they are in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and cook for 25 minutes, flip and cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden with light brown spots.
- Remove pan from oven, let cool for 5 -10 minutes and serve hot.
NOTES
Sweet Potato oven-fries (Photo by Cynthia Nelson) You can peel the skin of the sweet potatoes but if its fresh you don’t need to; the skin has vitamins and fiber.
- Instead of salt and pepper, you can use an all-purpose seasoning blend that already has salt.
- Serve these fries just as you would French Fries and with similar accompaniments and condiments.
