Perfect Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Name: Perfect Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 2 portions
Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato (500g or 1lb); 2 tsp corn starch; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 pinch of cayenne pepper; 2 tbsp olive oil; salt to taste

February 13, 2017 By Gloria 72 Comments

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There’s no denying that fries are universally accepted comfort food. They are delicious and the fact that you’re almost expected to eat them with your fingers is very appealing to me. What can I say, I love finger food and dips so this is the perfect snack for me. These are incredibly easily made, can be changed to suit your taste and far less fatty than their deep-fried counterpart. If you never tried to bake your fries in the oven then you should definitely give these crispy sweet potato fries a chance.

There was a time when I thought I had to abandon my favourite snacking combination of fries and mayonnaise. That was simply due to the fact that mayonnaise contains eggs. Yes, I am one of those people. I eat my fries with mayonnaise. They can be great with ketchup but that is not my first choice. Luckily I managed to find several ways to make mayonnaise egg free but the avocado version is by far the tastiest. If you for some reason prefer your sweet potato fries with ketchup then you can try out this Hot & Spicy Home Made Ketchup. It has a slight kick to it due to the chillies but let’s get back to sweet potato fries!

Getting the perfect crispy sweet potato fries can be tricky but it is not impossible. It took me a while to find a fool proof way that works each single time and it starts with soaking the raw potato fries in ice cold water. Doing this will draw the excess starch out, which will help them to crisp up. I let them soak in the cold water for about 45 – 60 minutes. It highly depends on how patient I am but from experience, it pays off to wait a whole hour.

Once they are done soaking discard the water, give them a very quick rinse with cold water and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Place them in a bowl and add 2 tsp of corn starch. Gently mix them until they are evenly covered. Place them on a baking tray that is lined with baking paper and make sure they touch each other as little as possible. Scatter the seasoning over them and drizzle with the olive oil. Do NOT add any salt at this stage. If you do that it will turn the fries soggy. Add the salt after they are baked, just before you eat them.

Bake them in a preheated, fan assisted oven for about 30-45 minutes at 200°C (390°F). The duration depends on how thickly you cut your fries. There are two little tricks that will help you get the perfect sweet potato fries. Once the sweet potatoes started cooking and the oil is bubbling, open the oven door just a tiny bit. Enough to let all the steam out that gathered in the oven at this point and close it quickly again. It should suffice to just open it for a few seconds, do not overdo it or the temperature will drop too much. The second trick is to turn the oven off once your fries are done and let them sit in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

These crispy sweet potato fries are far less fatty and healthier than their deep-fried “white” cousin. You can choose whatever seasoning you like for these; I just happen to love my food hot and spicy but you might as well season them with just pepper and salt or add rosemary and garlic. Just keep in mind to never add salt until after they are cooked, this is especially important if you use ready-made seasoning mixes. If they contain salt then bake the fries with just the oil and add the seasoning mix afterwards. In any case, you will end up with a delicious heap of perfect crispy sweet potato fries if you follow these steps.