Making sweet potato fries in the oven – perfect every time

Sweet potato fries, perfect in the oven

Sweet Patooty’s back! I raved about the fab qualities of sweet potatoes in an earlier post. But I’ve never posted a recipe for my favorite of all ways of having them… oven-baked fries. That’s because I never felt I’d gotten it quite right. But now, I think I can confidently tell you how to make these beauties come out delicious every time… crispy, not soggy, and definitely not burnt!

Perfect baked sweet-potato fries
Serves 6

Follow these steps for perfect fries every time

• 6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long strips. You’ll need one potato per person.
• cornstarch, about 2 tablespoons
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 or 2 tablespoons truffle oil (omit if you prefer other spices)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes (or not) and cut them into fries. Cut similarly sized pieces so the fries bake evenly. Use one small potato per person, as a side to your meat dish.

Step 2

In a big enough bag, toss all the sweet potatoes at once with a little cornstarch—thinly coat them, shaking off any excess. Then in a large bowl, sprinkle them with the coconut oil to coat. Season with salt, pepper, and spices (I like cinnamon, garam masala, or garlic powder). Avoid spices if you’re using the truffle oil at the end, as the tuffles provide all the flavor you need! Mix up your potatoes, oil, and spices to distribute evenly.

Step 3

Pour the fries directly onto a non-stick baking sheet for best results. Avoid aluminum foil unless you want toxic aluminum in your fries. Parchment paper can burn in the hot oven.  If you use a regular pan or aluminum foil, oil it lightly. Arrange your fries in a single layer and don’t overcrowd them or they’ll steam instead of baking and they won’t get crisp. Use two pans if you need to.

Step 4

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fries with a spatula. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the fries are crispy.  The edges should  caramelize but don’t let them get black. Let them cool 5 to 10 minutes. Tip: Addicted to crisp? Keep the fries in the oven (turned off) for up to 30 minutes after baking. This makes them extra crispy.

Step 5

Drizzle truffle oil over those beauties. Garnish with chopped parsley if you like.

Let your sweet potato sprout for a pretty & unusual centerpiece

Nutrition

Our Sweet Patooty is not just another pretty face. Her carbs are complex and require more time to digest than the simple starch in ordinary table potatoes. When sweet potatoes are on the menu, our pancreas isn’t stressed by sugar spikes. But there’s something more… she has a very special protein hormone that actually improves blood sugar regulation, even in diabetics!

And that’s only for starters. Her proteins are only now revealing what great antioxidants they are, repairing cell damage caused by oxygen from the air we breath. She also relieves inflammation in our bodies through the many anthocyanins and phytonutrients that make up her lively orange and purple colors. Put a rainbow on your plate and enjoy the benefits of better health… less swelling, less joint pain, fewer headaches, fewer heart problems… the list goes on.

Sweet Patooty also offers amazing amounts of Vitamin A.  One cup provides 4 times more than we need in any one day. Preserve your eyesight with this colorful super food.

My sweet potato grew and grew, like Jack’s beanstalk!

Tip: Two things to keep in mind when cooking sweet potatoes: 1) Add a little healthy fat to the mix. It improves absorption of the vitamin A this veggie delivers. 2) Steaming or boiling the flesh even for just two minutes disables a component of the potato that destroys the anthocyanins. When baking or roasting these veggies, for best nutrition consider a quick blanch to start things off. I don’t bother with this, though, when I’m making fries.

Related

• One potato, sweet potato, bean potato, more  Learn all about the health benefits of sweet potatoes. Try a delicious recipe for a main-course roasted sweet potato dish.
• Sweet Patooty makes quick work of flaky biscuits  Check out other ways to use sweet potatoes and control blood sugar.

The end.