These are great for Summer cookouts! -ed
We weren’t always fans of sweet potatoes in this house, but that wasn’t the fault of the sweet potato – it was ignorance on our part. Our only knowledge of this orange potato was the mashed and topped with marshmallows version served as a Thanksgiving casserole. Not that I’m judging! It just seemed like a waste of marshmallows ya know? So before I found these fries, I rarely (i.e. never) cooked with sweet potatoes.
And that was a shame. Now we make them weekly. Seriously yummy.
This is a sweet potato.
This is not a yam, although it is occasionally called that by other people who didn’t spend 30 seconds on Wikipedia researching yams vs. sweet potatoes this morning. I consider it my civic duty to share my knowledge with you.
I hope my knowledge and wikipedia are correct. I find I rely on it quite a lot.
Oh – I must mention that sweet potatoes do go on sale for about $.19/lb. And I don’t find it at all unreasonable to buy 30 pounds when they do. It’s my financial duty to share that tidbit.
I normally make one large potato per two adults, or one smaller per adult. There are never any left. Never ever ever.
Peel, slice or julianne the potato into the size you want – realizing that the thinner or thicker the slices will affect the cooking time. The slices below took about 35 minutes to bake, they were pretty thick. If I’m in a hurry I’ll slice them much thinner.
I’m usually in a hurry.
Lay the slices out on a cookie sheet (spray with non-stick spray, or use the non-stick aluminum foil, or do both just in case if you’re feeling cautious and/or reckless) . Drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil and toss a bit.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I should use the money I’m saving for a manicure.
The original recipe called for baking at 475F for 30 minutes. They always seem to turn out a bit soggy and a bit charred – an unusual and not appetizing combination. These I baked for 20 minutes at 400F, then 15 minutes at 425F to crisp them up a bit.
Fries are done when they begin to brown – and smaller, thinner sections will blacken. DO NOT throw away the burned portions, those are normally the ones fought over at my table. Generally these fries will be softer and not like the crispy deep fried fries you get in a restaurant.
Don’t worry – they taste better and are much better for you. So you can eat all you want without guilt. I consider that my final duty for the day.
Recipe:
2 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel & slice potatoes into fries. Pour olive oil on cookie sheet and toss fries (alternately, fries and olive oil can be tossed in bowl) sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then flip fries with spatula. Increase temperature to 425 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes. Fries are done when they begin to brown.