Sweet Potato Fries

Nothing accompanies a meal with more ease than sweet potato fries!

They are so yummy and versatile — make 'em salty, spicy, sweet, or a combination of the three. So many options! I like to use Simply Organic's Cinnamon Sugar on my fries as well as cinnamon, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder or fresh garlic, cayenne pepper, freshly ground pepper, parsley, chili powder, paprika, & sea salt. 

GET CREATIVE!

Toss them with olive oil and whatever spices you've got a hankering for {I always include cinnamon} and you are set! Who knew it could be so easy?? A lot of people, apparently, as sweet potato fry recipes are a dime-a-dozen on Google.

With the sweet potato fries, maybe it's just me, but you really have to watch them in the oven. I know mine aren't exactly uniform in cut, so that's most likely why, but I do try to cut them in roughly the same shapes and sizes. After about 20 minutes, take off of the tray any fries that are starting to burn or have dark marks on them. As for the ones that are not done yet, flip them over and put them back in the over. I check on and flip the fries every 5 minutes after that. I know it's tedious, but that's how I have figured out how not to end up with 183 burned fries and only 12 good ones.

Although Jessica, from How Sweet It Is, has a b r i l l i a n t idea: she bakes her S.P. fries on a wire rack! That way you don't have to flip them as often as I do. So.Stinking.Smart. I, however, have not yet found a non-coated wire rack to use for this. My cooling racks are coated and my over racks are too wide for the cut fries. I need to put that on my wish list though!

You could just go to the market and grab a bag of Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries... they are tasty! I prefer making my own as I can add whatever spices I want and can say that I made them without my guilty conscience saying, "shoving frozen fries in the oven & reading directions on a bag does not count as making them." But that's just me.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

(adapted from Whole Foods & How Sweet It Is)

· 2 large sweet potatoes/yams

· 3 table spoons olive oil

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

· 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon {depends on how much you adore cinnamon}

· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

· 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°

If desired, peel sweet potatoes. Cut into wedges. In a large bowl, add olive oil, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Toss potatoes with olive oil mixture until well coated. Spread potatoes in a single layer onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, take off any fries that are beginning to burn &/or have dark marks, flip fries that are not done yet, and continually flip/check on them every 5 minutes after the initial 20 minutes. Once fries are done, sprinkle sea salt on top & serve.

P.S. by waiting until the fries are cooked to sprinkle salt on, the fries refrain from getting soggy

How do you like your sweet potato fries?