Sweet Potato Fries to die (or live?) for

Okay, so for all of you greasy fries-lovers all out there… this is not that — it’s better. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a fries overhaul. Your fries are about to get crunchier on the outside, and softer on the inside, sweeter all around and to top it all off, healthier. These fries are the most tantalizing culmination of spicy, sweet, crispy, warm goodness. They are chock full of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy skin, mucus membranes, and eyesight.

Ingredients:

- 3 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs)

-  1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

-  1 tablespoon sea salt (or regular salt)

- 1-2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice mix, chili spice, or masal

-  parchment paper

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Peel the potatoes and slice off the tops and bottoms. Cut the potatoes in half horizontally and vertically. Then cut each quarter into wedges of equal sizes. It is important that you try to cut the potatoes into equal-sized wedges so that they cook evenly.

3. Place the sweet potatoes into a big mixing bowl and drizzle the olive oil all over. Mix the wedges well to disperse the oil. Sprinkle in the brown sugar (optional), salt and spices as you wish. Mix the wedges by hand to ensure that each chunk is well covered with spices and oil. Have fun with the mixture of spices, pick a combination that appeals best to you and see how you like the flavor. If not, mix it up again for next time. (Tip: Instead of mixing in a large bowl by hand, which tends to get messy, I sometimes prefer to pop the fries and the ingredients in a giant ziplock bag, seal it tight, and SHHHHAKE IT. It’s a fun alternative and keeps your hands clean).

4. Lay the sweet potatoes out on the parchment paper so that none of them are on top or overlapping each other. It’s not necessary to butter the pan because the oil they’re doused in should keep them from sticking.  Lessen the amount of oil to two or three tablespoons and a non-stick baking sheet or tray if you want to trim some of the fat off the recipe.

5. After you’ve set up the wedges on the parchment paper, pop them in the oven and allow them to bake for 25 minutes to a half hour. Half way through the baking time, you want to remove the paper from the oven and turn the sweet potato chunks over. Place them back in the oven and let bake for the remainder of the cook time (an additional ten to fifteen minutes). Remove the fries when they are well browned. Allow the fries five minutes to cool before serving.

A few simple steps and voilà, a scrumptious snack that’s good for your happiness and great for your body. Some tips for condiments (available almost readily at your local fine dining establishment, the FFC) to accompany this treat are honey Dijon mustard, the classic ketchup (although this makes it a little heavy on the sugar/sweetness for the already sweeter than normal sweet potato wedge), and my all-time favorite Sriracha (for those of you that can handle the heat, welcome to my kitchen). There’s something quite pleasant about the mating of sweet and spicy, and crispy and soft, that makes these sweet potato fries just the thing to make your taste buds cry of happiness. Try it out and trust me, there will be no going back to those plain old potato fries!