Sweet Potato Fries

I like french fries – but sweet potato fries are way better!  And healthier. 

I sometimes call them ‘Yam Fries’.  But that’s incorrect.  Yams are starchier and sweet potatoes are more moist.  Yams aren’t related to potatoes at all and they can grow up to seven feet!  Sweet potatoes have a smooth thin skin, while yams are scaly.  Sweet potatoes are grown in North America and yams are imported.  Yams are short and chunky with tapered ends.  But yams are tubular and can have ‘toes’.  Hee, hee!  Yams are sweeter.  Yams have a dark skin,  resembling tree bark.

Also, there are two distinct types of Sweet Potatoes.  The not-so-sweet pale ones, that are crumbly like a baking potato.  And the yummy bright orange ones.  Not that I have a preference at all!  Actually, I always thought the pale ones, were just old, dried up bright ones!  They are so much hard to cut into fries.

One of my all time favorite books is ‘Power of One’ by Bryce Courtney.  I read it as a teenager.  The main character, PK’s favorite food is sweet potato.  So I bought one, boiled it, tried it and — what was wrong with him?!?!  Those were disgusting!  All this hype for blah!!!  I didn’t eat them for over 10 years after that.  Then someone cooked them properly for me.  Now, I get it!  And I’ve tried sweet potatoes many different and delicious ways and I love ‘em!

 

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into fry sticks

Olive oil

Cumin

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 °F. (When I’m in a hurry I heat it to 425 °F)  Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  This helps with the clean up.

Have all your spices out and ready.  Now chop the potato and place into a mixing bowl.  Pour oil on top, just to lightly coat them.  They don’t need to be swimming.  Sprinkle with the cumin, sea salt and pepper.  I’m usually generous with the cumin, because it brings out the sweet flavour.  If you over do the salt it kills everything.  You have to work quickly and can’t do this ahead of time because the potatoes oxides way too fast.  Spread them on the prepare sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Check on them.  If you like them crispier wait a bit more.  You can serve them with an aoili type sauce, but I just scarf them down before I can say aoili! 

~ Liz