For the longest time I have been convinced that there is no way to make good sweet potato fries at home. One of my chef friends, who’s restaurant makes THE BEST sweet potato fries EVER, once walked me through all of the steps needed to get those fries crispy. And I can tell you, there was A Lot of steps involved!
You see, sweet potatoes contain a lot of moisture. And that moisture prevents them from properly crisping up. So simply baking them in the oven, unfortunately, will not result in a crisp fry (unless you get lucky and end up getting a very low moisture sweet potato.)
So, I experimented, and experimented some more, looking for a way to make great sweet potato fries in a home kitchen. A way that didn’t involve fancy equipment or a lengthy drying process.
And success at last. Soak in nearly boiling water, cornstarch and olive oil are all the keys to success! Please refer to the recipe for more detail.
Let’s get cooking!
If you are not comfortable using cornstarch, skip it. Your fries will still be delicious, just slightly less crispy.
Bring a large pot of water to a near boil. Remove it from heat when you see large bubbles coming to the surface, just shy of the full boil.
Preheat the oven to 415°F. Set two racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
In the meantime, peel and slice your sweet potatoes uniformly into fries. Slicing your potatoes evenly is very important for even cooking. Look to have each potato 1/3 inch thick, any thicker and it may not crisp up as well.
Place your potatoes into the pot of water that you brought to a near boil in Step 1. Cover and allow to sit covered, off heat, for 30-60 minutes.
Remove your potatoes from the pot, dry well with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with cornstarch, if using. Rub it with your hands to ensure each fry is coated. Drizzle well with oil, again making sure each fry is coated and season with salt. Divide between 2 baking sheets, without overcrowding the pans, and place into preheated oven. DO NOT put any parchment on the baking sheets, as that will prevent them from crisping up.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (closer to 30, but it will depend on the moisture level of your potato and how thinly you sliced it.) After 30 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven, flip each potato scraping carefully with a spatula, in case it sticks to the pan. Rotate the sheets 180 degrees and from top to bottom and place back into the oven. Bake another 20 minutes or so, until firm, dry, golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven. If desired, season with spices of choice.
My favourite spice combination for sweet potatoes is 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, pinch of cayenne. But be careful, this is quite spicy! Adjust to taste.
Place your potatoes on a platter and serve with toppings of choice. I served these delicious fries with Greek yogurt, kimchi and sliced green onions.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a near boil. Remove it from heat when you see large bubbles coming to the surface, just shy of the full boil.
Preheat the oven to 415°F. Set two racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
In the meantime, peel and slice your sweet potatoes uniformly into fries. Slicing your potatoes evenly is very important for even cooking. Look to have each potato 1/3 inch thick, any thicker and it may not crisp up as well.
Place your potatoes into the pot of water that you brought to a near boil in Step 1. Cover and allow to sit covered, off heat, for 30-60 minutes.
Remove your potatoes from the pot, dry well with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with cornstarch, if using. Rub it with your hands to ensure each fry is coated. Drizzle well with oil, again making sure each fry is coated and season with salt. Divide between 2 baking sheets, without overcrowding the pans, and place into preheated oven. DO NOT put any parchment on the baking sheets, as that will prevent them from crisping up.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (closer to 30, but it will depend on the moisture level of your potato and how thinly you sliced it.) After 30 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven, flip each potato scraping carefully with a spatula, in case it sticks to the pan. Rotate the sheets 180 degrees and from top to bottom and place back into the oven. Bake another 20 minutes or so, until firm, dry, golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven. If desired, season with spices of choice.
My favourite spice combination for sweet potatoes is 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, pinch of cayenne. But be careful, this is quite spicy! Adjust to taste.
Place your potatoes on a platter and serve with toppings of choice. I served these delicious fries with Greek yogurt, kimchi and sliced green onions.
Happens to be Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.
Make it Vegan and/or Dairy-Free: Do not serve with Greek Yogurt, or replace with Vegan sour cream.
