I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s tried dozens of different and increasingly complicated ways to get oven baked Sweet Potato fries to come out right. I almost gave up on the idea of a crispy Sweet Potato Fry when I tried one more method – and it is so easy it’s “stupid” simple.
Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries – They’re actually crispy!
These Sweet Potato Fries can’t be compared to any prepackaged frozen fry. They’re just two different animals.
The flavor of your own fresh Sweet Potato Fry is amazing and they bake up with a just enough of a crisp to make them taste great and handle well. While Sweet Potato fries will never have quite the crunch of a double fried French fry, these are a vast improvement.
Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries – they’re crispy!
These are the fries that will convert your family. They’re such a refreshing change from the succession of limp, soggy and unappealing Sweet Potato fries that I’ve made in the past that I’ve found myself making them more often.
I normally hand cut mine (make sure your knife is sharp and the job goes easier) but sometimes I’ll use my kitchen slicer to get nice uniform slices, then stack and cut through the stacks with my knife. When I cut, I make the fries just a bit larger than a standard French fry. They shrivel a bit. In the top and bottom photos, I hand cut. In the middle photo, I used a mandolin and the standard French fry cut – you can see the difference.
Serve with Chili Lime Mayo (like the one in my Onion Ring post) for a fun, spicy kick or a Sour Cream & Chive mixture.
Chili Lime Dipping Sauce
Sweet Potato Fries
- 2 pounds Sweet Potatoes, larger is better – about 2 large or three medium
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (I imagine if diet dictated you could use arrowroot)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut sweet potatoes into fries, trying to be as even as possible in your cuts so they all bake at the same rate. I found a cut a bit thicker than a French fry cut works best. Thinner cuts tend to shrivel a bit too much.
Place the fries in paper bag and shake with two tablespoons of cornstarch. (The amount you need might vary just a bit with the thickness and cut of your fries – they should be just lightly dusted with the cornstarch.) If you do happen to detect a slight cornstarch flavor on the fries, cut back a bit next time.
Place on two baking sheets (you don’t want to overcrowd or they won’t be crisp,) Drizzle with olive oil and toss until each fry has a very light coating. Use a judicious hand with the olive oil – you aren’t frying – just baking.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fry. Turn fries over, with a gentle hand (a thin spatula really helps.) I tend to rotate the outside fries to the inside of the pan and visa versa as I turn them. Bake for another five to 15 minutes or so.
The exact baking time is going to vary depending on the thickness of the fry. Keep a close eye on them, especially any “baby” fries that are smaller than the rest. A few brown spots are to be expected, but darker than that just does not taste as good.
I like to take my fries off the baking sheet and throw them on a rack if I’m not serving them all immediately so they don’t “steam” on the pan and ruin the crunch.
Sprinkle with salt while still warm – this is a great place to pull out a sea salt or even a kosher salt.
from the kitchen of http://www.frugalhausfrau.com
Let’s talk about how to save money/time on this recipe:
- Read {Strategies Applied} for additional tips as well as throughout the recipe, for saving time/money and managing this recipe.
- Follow my Strategies – You’ll see them all explained on the upper left tab of every page and how I apply them, below.
- Don’t get discouraged if your prices don’t match mine! Keep shopping at the best prices and your fridge/freezer and pantry will be stocked with sales priced ingredients.
- Use a coupon matching site! One of my favorites in my area is Pocket Your Dollars, but every store has a group of enthusiastic Coupon Matchers. Do not discount the savings! I check their site every week, even if I don’t “need” to go to the store and often find bargains I can’t pass up.
Nutrition:
Cal 297, Cal from fat (22%) 60.64; tot fat 6.87g; sat fat .97g; chol 0mg; sod 125 mg; tot carb 49.28g; sug 9.48g; prot 3.57g
Put Your own Spin on It:
- Add some spice – your favorite rub or seasoning blend, maybe a little cayenne or smoked paprika.
- Serve this with any dipping sauce you’d like.
Recipe made July 2012
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