Last night I tried making sweet potato fries from scratch. Here they are, deliberately placed on the pans, waiting for the oven to hit 450 degrees.
They burned at the edges, they were a little soggy, and they tried their best to destroy the pan. Delicious - but I think we can do better next time!
I am on the lookout for a great recipe - if you know the secret to crispy fries, please share!!!
(There is sugar added to the store bought, pre-cut, frozen sweet potato fries)
UPDATE: I made ground pork and green beans on Friday night, and Chili on Saturday...six days no take out! Tonight things broke down and we ordered in some Italian.
i suggest you need something to coat the sweet potatoes to stop the sugars on the outside burning and caramelizing rather than crisping. Even when trying to make oven-crispy-regular-potatoes a quick parboiling helps in this regard. This recipe here: http://cookieandkate.com/2010/baked-sweet-potato-fries/ calls for a little cornstarch. I'd also give the fries a good hot rinse and pat dry before coating with oil/spice/cornstarch etc.
ReplyDeleteOh and make sure the oil you use can handle the high heat, so it doesn't burn.
PS - I haven't tried this yet, but thinking about it I might experiment this weekend!
The trick is to start with semi-cooked sweet potatoes. You can microwave them a few minutes. Then coat them in whipped egg whites and bake. The egg whites make the outside nice and crispy. Oh, and use parchment paper....critical. I actually like the soggy ones, so when I am lazy I just coat them with some grape seed oil (for the heat) and Montreal Steak Spice. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI use cornstarch on my sweet potato fries and it does help but use it sparingly.
ReplyDeleteI never parboil and mine always turn out perfectly - 400 degrees, 20 minutes either side, very lightly tossed in veggie oil, skin left on. I know you spend some time in the Niagara Region. If you ever get a chance, hit up Commisso's Fresh Foods in Niagara Falls and buy a bag of baby sweet potatoes ($1.99 for a 3lb bag). They make the best fries!
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened when I tried to make them a couple years ago! If you find a good recipe, please share!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of sweet potato fries but Karen at the art of doing stuff says she has a guaranteed recipe for crispy ones....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/guaranteed-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-sriracha-mayo-dip/
Ah - these comments are great. Mine are always soggy but I like them anyway. I think I might have read somewhere (Martha Stewart maybe) that the trick is to use cornstarch and then to bake them twice? Does that make sense to anyone? I've only baked them the way that you have Shannon. But I love these readers' comments and tips!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the egg whites - fat free and works like a Charm!
ReplyDeleteClicked on over from Design Mom the other day - love your corner of Cyberspace!
ReplyDeleteMine are always soggy too and they are often soggy in restaurants, although I love them anyway. Must be the natural sugar content? Enjoying this thread as I would love to know!
Never made sweet potato fries before but i'd love to try!! Looks so yum!
ReplyDeleteMy method gives you more of a "baked" fry instead of a "crispy/deep-fried" fry but I get no complaints from adults or kids. Line your pans ideally with parchment or at least foil and put them in your oven as you preheat it to 400°. Slice up your potatoes and toss them in a bit of olive oil (~2T). Sprinkle with cumin, paprika, ginger, coarse salt and ground pepper and toss. Layer singly and spaced out until they are crisp and golden on one side (about 15min). Flip over and cook another 15min. Too many close together will make the potatoes steam instead of crisp up.
ReplyDeleteGood with a yoghurt/cilantro/walnut/cumin/lime juice dip.
THANKS FOR THE LINK!!! I read this recipe and all the comments and I am set to try it this week. I have some SP...now I need some time!!
ReplyDeleteI just take a sweet potato and cut into fries. Then I spray a pan with Pam, and lay the fries out. I spray again on top and sprinkle some salt and pepper in. 17 minutes at 400 degrees and they are done!! super yummy!
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