Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Love 'em? Me too. Nothing beats a crispy sweet potato fry. The problem with so many recipes is, because of the natural sugars inside that delicious spud, the outside burns before the potato cooks through.

Soggy sweet potato fries? Not lovable. Oh sure, I'll still eat them. But they don't make me jump for joy.

You could deep fry them. It's delicious, but certainly not as healthy.

So, you can imagine my joy when I pulled out these crunchy little babies:

Crispy, but not burned on the outside. Fluffy in the middle. My work here is done.


Baked Sweet Potato Fries

(based on an Alton Brown recipe from Food & Whine)

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp all purpose flour (approx)
1 tbsp canola oil
 seasonings: sea salt, curry powder, smoked paprika... the choice is really up to you.


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º.

2. Cut the sweet potato into equally sized widths (I did about 3/8th of an inch square). If you have a mandoline, this is a great time to pull it out as it will allow you to cut the potato evenly.

3. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Toss with egg white, then sprinkle with flour and toss again. You can add a little more flour if the mixture looks too runny, but try to avoid that if you can. Sprinkle with seasonings and toss a third time.

4. Drizzle a parchment lined baking sheet (or two) with oil, and place potatoes on sheet(s). Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, flipping half way through. If using more than one sheet, bake at the top and lower thirds of the oven, rotating halfway through when you flip the sweet potatoes over.

Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Lime Mayo

Sunday's dinner consisted of flank steak sandwiches - homemade whole wheat bread, Boston lettuce and the juices from the sliced steak - and sweet potato fries. Now, sweet potato fries have been a pain in the butt for me. I haven't been able to get them crisp enough. Today, though, I think I finally got the recipe right!

Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Mayonnaise
Photography by Matthew Kimura (Canadian Living)

 Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Lime Mayo

2 sweet potatoes cut into strips 3/8 inch wide
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp coarse salt
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy

2 tbsp mayonaise
2 tbsp sour cream
juice from ½ lime
¼ tsp curry powder
salt and pepper and sugar to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat over to 425 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
1) Blanch the sweet potato strips in boiling water for 1½ minutes. I did this in two batches.
2) Remove from water and dry on paper towel (or, if you're out, use a tea towel).
3) Mix flour and paprika together in a bag or any sealable container you might have on hand, add potato strips in batches. Remove from bag, shaking off excess flour. Gently toss in egg whites mixture and place on baking sheet. Be sure to make sure you've left lots of room between each fry. This will help make sure they get nice and crispy instead of steaming.
4) Sprinkle with coarse salt and place in oven for 20-25 minutes, turning fries over half way through.
5) Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6) Remove fries from the oven, and serve with the flavoured mayonnaise.
7) Marvel at your culinary ability and bask in the awe of your husband.