SWEET POTATO FRIES

Sweet potatoes are very very good for you. They're packed with vitamin C, beta carotene, fiber, and tons of antioxidents, just to name a few.

They're also are lower in carbs than a regular potatoes. And if you battle with blood-sugar issues, regular potatoes are disastrous, but ironically "sweet" potatoes are much better. The sweetness comes from complex carbohydrates (the good kind) and not simple carbs (the bad kind) Also, they're tossed in olive oil which is well known for it's healthy qualities. Remember, olive oil is the good oil! This is is great, healthy alternative to french fries and they taste fantastic.

FYI:
- One serving is 3 weight watchers points (add 1 extra point for 2T dip)
- These fit into phase 2 of the South Beach Diet
- A serving has 147 calories, 5 g of fat, and 4 grams of fiber.

sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes*
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t sea salt
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)

I like them with just salt and pepper, but for a spiced up version add the following:

1 t parsley, 1/2 t cumin , 1/2 t oregano , 1/2 t coriander

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces. 

**TIP  It's easier to add all the spices and oil to a ziploc bag, mix, add potatoes then shake, shake, shake!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. (Do you need to spray it? Probably not. But I feel safer doing it!) Don't use a silpat, or parchment, or anything like that. You want them right on the cookie sheet.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. I like mine to be 1/4", or maybe a tad bit bigger. Below is a picture of the steps I take to make the most out of the potato. It's pretty self-explanatory. Cutting them larger, like steak fries, will sometimes result in a big soggy mess, so stay small to get the best results.


It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish).


Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it.

Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together like in my picture below.

*if you end up needing more than one cookie sheet make sure they are spaced more than one rack apart in your oven to prevent steaming. Also, rotate the pans when you take them out to flip.


Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time it will take forever, I take a long spatula and get a bunch at at time in the pic below. It's super quick. Just flip, and then make sure they're spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.


Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Click on the picture below so you can see the nice caramelization in detail! Mmmm... Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle.


Take them out of the oven and serve immediately.

They cool off very quickly so they're best eaten right away.

Serves about 4.



Oh, and just because every fry needs a dip, I made one up for these. Honestly, they don't need a dip, they're really really yummy just on their own. But dipping is always fun, isn't it? If you want a dip, whip this up while the fries are in the oven, or it can be made way in advance.

low-fat plain yogurt, honey, mayo, lime juice, cumin, oregano, parsley, onion and salt.

Honey-Lime Dip for Sweet Potato Fries

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt
1 T mayo (low cal is fine)
1/2 T honey
1/2 lime
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
3/4 t kosher salt

Mix honey and yogurt until combined and give it a big squeeze from the lime half. Add in spices and herbs and you have a dip.