Recipe: Sweet Potato Fries

All right, so I think we've perfected this one about as much as we're going to... Time to make the first official "recipe" post of the blog. :) I'm planning to have all the recipes linked from the main page, and searchable for keyword "recipes" so they're easy to find all at once.

Sweet Potato Fries
~ Serves 2 people



Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, washed with skin left on
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. oil (we use canola)

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds, discarding the ends of the potatoes. Cut the rounds in half to make semi-circles.



3) Toss sweet potatoes in a bowl with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil, coating all pieces evenly.



4) Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray or oil, and place sweet potatoes in a single layer, leaving a little room between pieces.



5) Bake 25 minutes on the first side, flip all fries, and bake 10-15 more minutes on second side to a dark golden brown on both sides. I've also found it helps to move the fries around the edge into the middle and vice versa, as the outside of the pan seems to cook faster than the center.

Time to eat! These times work perfectly for our oven, but you may want to play with the timing the first time to make sure nothing's getting OVERdone... Also, we use a lower sodium salt, so play with that to your tastes as well. And of course, this recipe lends itself SO well to trying out different spice combinations, so... have fun and explore!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Calories: 250 (for about a 9 oz. sweet potato, plus oil)
Fat: 6 grams (less than 1/2 gram of that is saturated)
Fiber: 7.5 grams
Protein: 4 grams

Enjoy!
--Jay :)

Smoke Alarms: 3, Humans: 0

Well, we've yet to defeat the smoke alarms during the "sweet potato fry" making process! Due to some residual oil in the bottom of the oven, we had another auditory assault this evening. The fries keep getting better though! Can't improve too much on perfection!

--Jay

Step One: Disable Smoke Detectors

Sweet Potato Fries - Take Two

Attempt number two at savory sweet potato fries: a rip-roarin' success. :)



We are hard at work perfecting our new favorite way to consume sweet potatoes. I have learned (and not for the first time) that there are certain things that are NOT meant to be baked on perforated pizza pans. Oil-coated sweet potato fries? Definitely one of those things. After having offended the smoke alarm gods for two out of two attempts, I will henceforth lean toward a nice, sturdy, solid-bottomed sheet pan. But these things are turning out to be awesome!

Only changes this time was that I left the skin on, and cut the potato into about 1/4" rounds, which I then cut in half to make semi-circles. Much faster than those silly strips I made the first time. High oven, get a nice char, good to go! So here's the rundown for those who missed it:

Preheat oven to 425. Use one nice sized sweet potato per person, washed with skin left on. Cut into rounds, 1/4-1/2" then cut rounds in half to make semi-circles. Toss in a bowl with just enough canola oil to coat, plus salt, pepper, and garlic powder (I know, right?!) to taste. [The recipe from mi hermana-in-law suggested chili powder as well, but we haven't gone there yet.] Spread in a single layer on a SOLID sheet pan, don't crowd. Bake about 20 minutes, flip all fries and bake about 10 minutes more, until a nice dark golden crunchy brown on both sides. Eat and marvel at the yumminess you have crafted.

In a conversation with my aunt the other day, she mentioned that she cuts the calories of a dish similar to this that she calls "Roasted Winter Vegetables". She takes cubes of sweet potatoes, and mixes with butternut squash and carrots, and roasts them all up until tender. I'm thinking two parts sweet potato, one part of each other item. That must be tried in the not-to-distant future as well. Yum! :)

Keep on keepin' on!
--Jay

Can you overdose on sweet potatoes?

Mmm... Sweet Potatoes



I do love sweet potatoes, but after trying to work them into our "diaita" three times a week, we're already experimenting with nifty new ways to cook them. We decided to try sweet potato fries again tonight, after I failed miserably at making some several months ago. Dee came across a Paula Deen recipe today, and we decided to adapt it and give it another go.

They actually turned out great, and Dee claims they're now her second-favorite food of all time, second only to shrimp! Here's how they went down... super-easy...

I took one nice sized sweet potato for each of us, and cut it into strips like steak fries. Toss them in a bowl with just enough oil (we did canola) to barely coat, along with a pinch of salt, pepper, and (believe it or not) garlic powder! Bake for about 20 minutes at 450, turning at least once. Our thinner fries started to burn and had to be removed before the rest were done, due to my uneven knife skills. :) Anyway, the garlic powder gave them a savory spin, and they almost tasted like regular potatoes with just a hint of sweetness. A great alternative for when you get a little burnt out on the "sweet potato" taste.

--Jay