Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potato fries. If I have a choice between sweet potato fries or regular fries, I would choose sweet potato fries 99% of the time. I just love that sweet and salty combination, especially when they are well-cooked, crispy with the sugar all caramelized. I like to dip them in honey mustard, a spicy mayo sauce, or just regular ketchup. I made a sriracha mayo dip for these fries. I might be addicted to sriracha, and I can't get enough of it, and the mayo dip was so good, I could eat it with a spoon! I made it healthier, though, by using mostly non-fat Greek yogurt and only a small amount of real mayo to give it that fatty, more decadent taste. You can see the recipe below.

Without deep frying, making fries well in the oven is a bit of a challenge. You  want them to be crispy, and not soggy. Sweet potato tends to get soggy if the temperature isn't high enough and the fries basically get steamed in the oven. My recipe achieves crispy fries by first parboiling the potatoes, then dusting them with cornstarch before tossing them with oil and seasoning. 

Baked sweet potato fries

You will need:

One large sweet potato

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Salt, to taste

3 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 415 degrees. 

Cut the sweet potato into uniform fry shapes, preferably skinnier to get crispier fries. If they are unevenly cut, the skinny ends will burn before the thicker parts get browned. 

Place fries in a medium pot and cover with water. Boil fries for about 4 minutes, or until slightly tender. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Spread them out and let the heat evaporate more moisture from the fries for a few minutes. 

After the fries are dried, sprinkle the cornstarch over them and toss to thoroughly coat them. Drizzle the olive oil and season with salt to taste. Toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the fries out on a greased baking sheet, making sure they aren't crowded. Use two baking sheets if you have to. 

Bake fries for 25 minutes, or until golden and crispy, giving them a stir about 15 minutes into baking. Enjoy with your favorite fry dip!

Sriracha Mayo Dip

You will need:

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp mayo

1-4 tsp sriracha, to taste

Mix all ingredients together, adjusting hot sauce to taste. If you use less sriracha sauce and it's too bland, add some salt to taste. Enjoy with fries.