There’s that question, “If you could have one last meal before you die, what would it be?” And while this question is heinous and impossible to respond to in a remotely accurate manner, there are little glimpses of truth that titilate in the head when even fathoming if you should respond. For me, sweet potato fries flare up like the end of a rod near a flat tire on a highway when asked. Like, hardly any question.
I discovered these beautiful things after moving to Los Angeles for undergraduate studies in History and French at UCLA. (So useful, err…)
Well, at least I discovered sweet potato fries.
When I started this blog back in 2009, they were one of the first things I documented with my meager iPhone camera and abysmal cooking utensils. They were OKKkkk… kind of. Good for not having made them 500 more times, worked in Michelin-star restaurants, and gone to Le Cordon Bleu.
Now, after the latter has been completed, I give my 23-year-old self an “A for effort”, but, like, a “C” for taste and presentation and have some advice for me:
There’s such beauty in these things when prepared right.
Have you ever wondered why homemade fries just don’t have that same crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside quality? It’s probably because you haven’t soaked out the starch, silly!
The trick to great sweet potato fries was a trick I learned while working at Camaje Restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village — the way to make fries light and airy on the inside is removing their starch by soaking them in water for at least a few hours before cooking.
So, given my love lust mariage with sweet potato fries, I gave it a shot, and holy m*lyballs, they’re great.
Without further adieu, here’s a quick and easy recipe for Perfect Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
You’ve soaked out the starch, coated them only in healthy oil (olive oil) and added only as much salt as you want to before baking them, not frying. So healthy, this comfort food is almost uncomfortable? Nah, it’s damn delicious. Have at it.
perfect baked sweet potato fries
Print recipe| Serves | 2-3 |
| Prep time | 2 hours, 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
| Dietary | Corn Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Side Dish, Snack, Starter |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 1 Large sweet potato (washed and dried)
- water
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- a dash cinnamon (optional, if you wanna warm them up with some fun flavor)
Directions
| Step 1 | Cut the sweet potato in half, then cut 1 cm thick strips (as shown on the blog post). Cut again perpendicular to make about 4" long fries. Repeat with other half. |
| Step 2 | In large bowl, soak cut potatoes in room temperature water for at least 2 hours, can leave overnight. |
| Step 3 | Strain and rinse potatoes, and leave them in the strainer to dry off while you pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 190 degrees Celcius. |
| Step 4 | In large bowl, toss with olive oil and sea salt, and lay on large baking sheet with no overlap. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning a few times if you want them really evenly colored. You'll know they're done when you can poke a fork through them easily and the outside is crispy. |
| Step 5 | Remove from oven, salt a bit more if you'd like, and serve! |
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