Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Mmm..fries. Sweet Potato Fries at that..sweet, salty, crispy on the outside, tender and steamy on the inside. Baking them in the oven is a healthier option than deep frying them, and with a few simple tricks, they can be just as crispy as well!
Bake some up this weekend for Father’s Day and serve them with a variety of dipping sauces - my favorite is ketchup mixed with a ton of pepper. Some other ideas are chipotle mayo, sweet chili sauce, garlic mayo, honey mustard..the options are endless.
This great snack is versatile in itself, as well. Depending on the way you season the sweet potatoes, they can take on completely different flavor profiles! I wanted to try two different options. I stuck with simple Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper, and a fun batch of sweet potatoes dusted with a yummy Cinnamon Sugar mix. Experiment! These are great healthy snacks for your family :)
What You Need:
- Sweet potatoes - 1-2 medium sized sweet potatoes per person
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons EVOO
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt / Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
- Any other seasoning mix you prefer (cayenne, rosemary..)
What To Do:
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Chop the sweet potatoes into similar sized fries - I suggest sticking with a medium sized fry, between a steak fry and shoestring potatoes. They shrink quite a bit in the oven. Be careful!
- A very light dusting of cornstarch helps absorb water from the potato’s surfaces and helps achieve a crunchier outer crust. I’d say that the best option here is to put a tbsp of cornstarch into a plastic produce bag and lightly toss the chopped sweet potato fries in them. Create a pocket of air inside and twist the top of the bag so that you can toss them around.
- Once they’re coated, spread them on a baking sheet and drizzle them lightly with olive oil. Start out with a small amount - you can always add more, but you can’t take it away once you’ve added too much. Use your fingers to toss them so they are coated evenly.
- Space out your fries. Leaving them too close to one another actually will steam them, not bake them. You want to allow them to have space to roast.
- Season your fries!
- Bake your fries for 15 minutes, and then carefully turn them over to promote browning on the other sides. Bake them for 5 more minutes, and they’re done!
Serve these with your favorite dipping sauces. They are a great way to sneak some nutrition packed sweet potatoes into your families’ diet. Have a great Father’s Day weekend!!
