Sweet Potato Fries

While she may be the queen of unhealthy cooking, Paula Dean's recipe for sweet potato fries is both delicious and actually not horrible for you (and shockingly doesn't feature a sour cream/mayonnaise/heavy cream dipping sauce). My version is slightly modified from hers, and vegan. I can't say if they are tasty eheated because I ate all the fries that night off the baking sheet while hot. My guess is that they will lose a lot when they cool off and get soggy, but unless you cook up 5 potatoes for yourself, that probably won't be an issue because you won't have any leftovers, they're that delicious.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

2-5 sweet potatoes (depends totally on how much you want to make)

olive oil for tossing (~1 Tbsp per potato)

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and other seasonings optional

Equipment

Sharp knife and cutting board

Vegetable peeler (semi-optional)

Oven and oven mitts

Tongs

Baking sheet + silpat or foil/parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Peel the potatoes, or wash and carefully dry if you're leaving the skin on (I usually peel, but up to you). Cut off any bad spots or eyes, then cut in half the long way. Place the cut side down so it doesn't roll around, then cut into 1/4 inch wide slices. Cut slices into 1/4 inch thick fry-sized strips.

3. Place your silpat on the baking sheet or cover your baking sheet in foil or parchment paper. Place potato strips on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then toss with your hands to coat. You want the strips to be a little slick, but not sitting in puddles of oil, so add oil accordingly.

4. Spread the potato strips out on the baking sheet (bake in two rounds if you have too many fries to fit without overlapping them). Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper to your tastes. You can also add a sprinkle of other spices like garlic or onion powder, paprika, or cayenne pepper. I would recommend going without spices the first time you make them, or adding them after baking once you've tried a plain fry and decide what flavors you want.

5. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender and golden brown (cook more depending on how brown you like them), taking them out at least once to toss with tongs. Cool for a few minutes before eating so you don't burn your mouth (this is the hard part).