Waffle fries, crinkle cut, homemade potato wedges... the list just goes on and on! A new addition to this list of mine are sweet potato fries. Out of all the fries out there, I think that sweet potato fries take the cake. You wanna know why? Because they are sweet AND salty! I mean I'm not saying I am a fry connoisseur or anything, but they are distinctly different from regular fries and I think that gives them a leg up in the fry competition out there.
When I was in college, I worked at a restaurant on campus for three years where the students did all the cooking and serving. We cooked salmon, steak, burgers, pizza, gourmet salads, you name it! A few years into it we added sweet potato fries to our menu. Man did that flip everyone's world around. They became the new favorite side dish, which caused us to constantly run out! I will seriously never forget the first time I ate a sweet potato fry. You think I'm joking, but I am not. I was never really a fan of yams so I was a little hesitant about them (shocker!), but all it took was one bite! After I first tried them, every chance I got, I would sneak them out of the fryer just to keep me going at work.
Since I feel so strongly about these fries I set out to find a recipe in order to make them at home. I have tried SO many different recipes and let me tell you it has been hard to find one that gives you crispy fries every time! Just because they say "guaranteed crispy sweet potato fries" does not mean that the recipe actually works, believe me... Maybe it was my own fault, but I could never find anything that produced a delicious, sweet, crispy sweet potato fry. Was this too much to ask? After much research I just decided to combine a bunch of different techniques and just do what I felt worked the best. This recipe I came up with works for me and I hope it works for you! Don't get discouraged if it takes you a couple tries. Sweet potato fries are hard to get crispy because they are naturally a lot softer than normal potatoes.
If any of you have a perfect sweet potato fry recipe that works for you let me know! I would love to try it out!
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon parsley. Mix together.
Add seasoning to wedges along with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Combine with hands until fries are evenly coated.
Put tinfoil on a baking sheet, shiny side down. Align the sweet potatoes on the sheet, leaving space in between each fry. The less they touch, the more successfully they will fry!
Bake for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes is up, remove pan from oven and flip the fries over with a spatula. Rearrange them to make sure that they still do not touch. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 4 tablespoons BBQ sauce, 2 teaspoons cajun spice, and 1 teaspoon honey for southwestern fry sauce.
Enjoy!!
2 sweet potatoes- about 1 lb peeled and cut into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Southwestern Fry Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
2 teaspoons cajun spice
1 teaspoon honey