tasty treats #1: sweet potato fries
My inspiration for this particular post comes from the delicious cinnamon-sugary smell wafting from my oven at this very moment. I thought it would be mean of me to not share it with you.
Sweet potatoes are my latest food obsession. Yes, I have some obsessions with food. I will keep a large supply of a certain type in my pantry and I will prepare and eat it many different ways for a couple months straight. The other month it was artichokes, this month it happens to be sweet potatoes. These seemingly useless little tuberous roots have actually been added to my list of versatile, delicious (not to mention nutritious) foods due to some recent experimentation in the kitchen in the form of sweet potato fries. The possibilities are endless. Currently I have chosen a paprika, cinnamon, brown sugar type. But another favorite is cumin and paprika, while i have also just done plain sea salt salt and pepper ones. Additionally, I have done them with Italian seasoning or rosemary, lemon pepper, and sea salt. As you can see, you pretty much can’t go wrong.
OK, so, here’s what you do.
Sweet Potato Fries
{I am aware that these do not follow my cutting guidelines. Forgive me, I did not intend originally to write about this. I was very hungry, and this is the result}
You will need:
- one large sweet potato
- sea salt (coarse)
- freshly ground black pepper
- other spices if desired (see below for some ideas)
- olive oil
- a peeler
- a sharp knife
- a cutting board
- a large baking sheet
Then, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
You can peel your potato if you want (if there are lots of blemishes and whatnot). Then cut in half width-wise first, and slice off the pointy ends (because they burn and make it nasty). Now, take a half of the sweet potato and cut it into large slices about 3/4 inch thick. You’ll then cut the larger slices into fries. Your fries should be 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
Then, put them all on your baking sheet. Sprinkle your spices over them and drizzle with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Make sure they are coated, but do not put any excess on or they will be soggy. Mix it all together, then spread evenly in a single layer on the baking sheet, trying not to let them touch each other. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. They should be brown and nice and crispy.
Some good combos
(I usually just eyeball it, so these measurements are approximated.)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- {the sugar burns easily so make sure you are being vigilant and turning these sufficiently!}
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- freshly ground pepper
- course sea salt
- lots of freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- sea salt freshly ground pepper
If you come up with/know any good combos, let me know!
I hope that you will give these little tubers a chance. Enjoy!
<3 CW
