Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
A quick post, which is really more of a complaint. Freakin’ sweet potatoes. I have pounds and pounds of them thanks to my winter CSA storage share. Healthy and tasty, but I still ask more of them. I wish they’d be just a little more like regular potatoes when they cook. I wish that I could get the darn things to crisp up a bit without having to burn them. A slight char is a-okay with me (I tend to order my fries well-done), but a charcoal fry isn’t exactly my cup of tea.
Don’t get me wrong, these spiced sweet potato fries were really good. But they were also kind of mushy. Parts of some of the fries were approaching a crispy, but those parts were more rapidly approaching burnt. Anticipating the mush, I did some research ahead of time to try and prevent it, but it didn’t help much. I cut them fairly thin, baked them at a high temperature, and finished them off under the broiler. I didn’t want to fry them (which apparently doesn’t work much better, anyway).
The spice mix I whipped up for these was really tasty, and I think it’d be good over all types of potatoes, or even over popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to get the last of it out of your mixing bowl and over the fries. It gives a mild heat and flavor to the potatoes, but if you’re looking for really zippy fries, double the spices.
Sweet Potato Fries
Plenty of fries for two
2-3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled
Oil and Spice Rub
2 Tbs of Earth Balance, melted (vegan margarine)
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Salt
Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 450º F.
Slice potatoes into thin fry shapes with a large chef’s knife. Mix melted earth balance and spices together and toss the potatoes in it. Place oiled/spiced fries on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper (they might stick to foil). Do NOT crowd the pan - you want space between every fry. Bake for 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
Place potatoes under the broiler, turning every minute or so and keeping a close eye on them. Broil them for as long as you can without incinerating them. Serve immediately or you’ll lose any crispiness you achieved. Goes great with ketchup or a creamy vegan mayo.
20 comments December 8th, 2007
