These puppies aren't like your regular Russet fries. They require special treatment. They're somewhat dainty, compared to the hearty Western fare that generally busts out of my kitchen. I once bought a bag of "ready to bake" sweet potatoes fries from Costco, and they were disastrous as well.
Despite the stigma, they are surprisingly easy. You just have to keep certain things in mind.
So, I put my head down and did some research. I consulted the amazing Mel's Kitchen Cafe for their take on Sweet Potato Fries, the Paula Deen comments, and a bucket load of sweet potato fans on Allrecipes. That was just the beginning. I also headed in to my kitchen for several versions of experiments, using some beautiful sweet potatoes from the Monday Market sale. Several versions later, I think we have something worth throwing down next to a burger.
Here are the results from the science experiment.
Make sure there is no extra liquid on the outside. There shouldn't be any water from soaking (if that's what you choose to do). They should be patted dry. If you've just tossed them in olive oil and spices, leave the excess oil at the bottom of the bowl or bag. Too much oil on the baking sheet will just leave them soggy.
Air space. These guys need to breathe! When you are laying them out on the tray, make sure that they have space around them. They shouldn't be touching side to side, or laying on top of each other. This helps ensure air circulation around the fries, preventing soggy eats.
Use sugar to carmelize and crisp the outsides. Sugar can do some beautiful things, including making things crispy. You don't need a lot of sugar, just enough to help coat the outside. The olive oil-sugar reaction creates this perfect harmony of crispy-sweet that is perfect for sweet potatoes.
Preheat the pans. Before cutting your potatoes, pop your sheet trays in the oven. You'll likely even use two, in order to comply with Rule #2, and making sure that there is enough air space around the sweet potatoes. This helps create that satisfying sizzle when you are ready to drop the fries onto the pan for the first time, and quickly arrange them for baking.
A potato is a potato is a potato. Not so fast. The sweet potatoes you find in the store aren't actually yams, as some would be led to believe. I'm not going to get into that whole debate (because I would lose). You can read the Wikipedia on sweet potatoes for more information about its history and awesomeness. Still, sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index, meaning less starch. The starch in Russet potatoes is what helps them be crispy on the outside when fried. It makes all our American favorites possible through its amazing properties. Still, the old Russet potato tricks, like soaking slices in water before making fries, don't work the same with the sweet potato.
Cut 'em right. Use all your Iron Chef knife skills to make sure they are as close to the same size as possible. Watch a video on julienne-ing. Toss out the little pieces so they don't burn.
Last Year: Cornflakes (or eating gluten free on the airplane)
Two Years Ago: Chicken Parmegiana
Three Years Ago: Pumpkin Chili
Sweet Potato Fries
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3 large sweet potatoes or yams, approximately 4-6 cups when julienned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put two baking sheets with sides into the oven during the preheat process.
Peel and julienne the sweet potatoes to be about 3 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Having evenly-sized pieces is the only way to even baking, and less burning.
In a bowl or zip bag, throw in the julienned sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and add the spices. Shake around until all the pieces are covered with oil, sugar and spices. When removing them from the bowl or bag, scoop them out, rather than dump them, to prevent adding extra oil to the pan. Pull the sheet trays out of the oven. Carefully arrange the sweet potatoes on the preheated sheet trays.
Bake for 12-20 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through. You want tender and browned, with some tiny blisters on them.
Eat up! We served them with a roasted red pepper aioli.
These sound like a lot of work. I'll just let you invite us over next time you have them. :)
ReplyDeleteYum! This sounds great! I used to get great sweet potato fries from Aldi, in my pre GF days, but discovered they coat them in flour. Boo. I like the Ore-Ida ones, which are gluten free (they coat in rice flour, I think), but they are super expensive! I'll have to try this. I love me some sweet potatoes!
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