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Spicier Sweet Potatoes By Chef Kady Guyton
I had dinner out with some friends earlier this week. One of the items on the appetizer menu was sweet potato fries with aoli sauce. Being hungry and in a social kind of mood, we ordered a basket for the table and promptly demolished them. Somewhere in the midst of the potato carnage, someone raised the question of why more people don't make sweet potato fries at home. Sweet potatoes are great; loaded with vitamin C and carotene, they are even good for you. However, the majority of people eat them once a year, buried in marshmallow fluff. Don't get me wrong, I love a good marshmallow fluff, but the stuff shouldn't be anywhere near vegetables. I decided to tackle this project myself and made a batch of fries in the oven. I encountered a few challenges and I'm pretty confident you can learn from my mistakes and avoid them. Challenge number one: The oven should be hot. Really hot. Hotter than seems reasonable. Between 400 and 450 is a good. Sweet potatoes have a higher water and sugar content than their more starchy white brethren, so they require higher heat to really crisp up. The Second Challenge: Cut the potatoes into the correct, uniform size. This seems obvious, but it's easy to mess up. It's also easy when more than one person is doing the cutting, so designate one person to be the Fry Cutter and have everyone else step away. I like my fries to be crispy and well-done, so I tend to cut them in pencil-size sticks. Third Challenge: Sweet potato fries need lots of room. Spread them in an even layer on a cookie sheet or baking pan and make sure they are not touching each other. Use more than one pan, if needed. Line the baking pan with parchment paper or quick release foil, this will insure that the crispy goodness stays on the fry and not burned to the pan where it doesn't do anyone any good. Not A Challenge, But A Good Thing To Keep In Mind: Use oil. Oil promotes browning and crisping, and will also give the seasoning something to stick to. Two to three tablespoons will do it. Be sure to season your fries. A little salt is classic and delicious, but curry powder or cajun seasoning is also very good. Once everything is cut, oiled and seasoned, pop them in the oven for about half an hour. Some recipes I looked at strongly recommended that the fries should not be turned at any point. This makes me nervous and will pretty much guarantee food that is overly browned on one side. So feel free to flip them after 15 minutes or so. When the fries come out of the oven, cool them slightly, then serve while hot. If one is going to go through all the trouble to make homemade sweet potato fries, then serving them with ketchup is just anticlimactic. Although honey mustard is quite good. Below is a recipe for garlic aoli sauce. Aoli is basically thinned down mayonnaise, very easy to whip up in a blender and is excellent on sandwiches, baked potatoes or as a dip for fresh vegetables. The garlic can be replaced with roasted red peppers, tomato paste, fresh herbs or anything else to suit. Sweet Potato Fries 2 lbs sweet potatoes (approx. 2 large potatoes) Directions
Cut the potatoes into strips. Toss the potatoes in the oil and spices until well coated. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or lightly oiled. Bake for 25 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fries are golden and crisp. Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve immediately. Garlic Aoli Combine all ingredients except oil into blender and and puree. Slowly stream in oil so it will emulsify. Season to taste with more salt and white pepper if desired. Keep refrigerated, and this will last for 2 to 3 days. |
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