I don’t care much for ‘sweet potatoes’ in general, so it’s really not something you will find at my home often, if at all…with the exception of an intent to make sweet potato fries!

My first encounter with sweet potato fries was only a few months ago when I decided to venture at the frozen section of the Supermarket.  There was a 2 for $7 sale on frozen, organic sweet potato fries.  I figured, it wouldn’t hurt, right? 

I’ve almost forgotten about them until I found myself longing for an afternoon snack one day and there they were in my freezer waiting for a chance to be redeemed as the next best thing to homemade vanilla ice cream!  In light of this epic experience, I decided to do a little experiment of my own.  I mean, who can resist homemade fries, let along, good-for-you sweet potato fries?  Moreover, I don’t know about you, but we like our fries crunchy, spicy and everything else adventurous in between.

This recipe is the closest I’ve found to a heaven-on-earth fries experience imaginable, and I hope that you will like it, too!  Let me know, will you?–gcc

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes (Plan on at least one per person)
• Olive oil (A couple of tablespoons)
• Corn starch (A ‘don’t be shy’ sprinkle’s worth)
• Salt, pepper and spices  (A few suggestions might be cayenne pepper, paprika, curry powder, garlic powder, you catch my drift)

For the Dip:

• 2-3 parts Olive-Oil Mayo (Regular mayo is okay, if that is what you have available)
• 1 part Sriracha (Can be purchased at the Asian section of your local supermarket)

Mix in a small bowl and set aside until ready for use.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fry-shaped pieces.  Cutting them into similarly sized pieces will help bake them evenly.
2. Toss the uncooked fries into a mixing bowl or a plastic bag, or onto your baking sheet.  Pour in a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat the fries.  Season with salt, pepper, and spices. Sprinkle in corn starch, i.e., half a teaspoon per potato or so.  Mix/shake to distribute evenly.
3. Pour the fries onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (aluminum foil produces mixed results). Arrange the fries in a single layer. It is very important to keep them in a single layer, otherwise they will never crisp up. It’s best to give each fry a bit of room on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fries so they can cook on all sides using a metal spatula.  Section by section, scoop up about ten fries and flip them with a quick turn of the wrist.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the fries are crispy. You’ll know they’re done when the surface of the fries change from shiny orange to a more matte, puffed up texture. It’s essential to bake them long enough, otherwise they won’t be crispy. Don’t worry if the edges are a little bit brown, they will taste more caramelized than burnt.