Who likes sweet potato fries? I think of these as regular French fries on steroids. Sweet potatoes are delicious and filling and they are a superfood too, loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. They act as a time-release fuel because they are slower to digest than regular potatoes and will evenly sustain your energy throughout the day or evening.
You can easily make these at home without any gadgets. No deep-fat fryer or air fryer is required. All you need is a baking sheet or jelly roll pan and a piece of foil or parchment paper.
Here is what you need:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt (I like kosher)
Optional spices: chili powder or paprika and garlic powder
Here is what you do:
Preheat the oven to 400⁰. Peel the sweet potatoes, or, leave the skins on. Cut in half lengthwise down the middle. Then lay the halves on the flat side and cut lengthwise several times again in ¼ or ½ inch thickness, depending on how thick you like them. Lay them flat again and slice them lengthwise a couple more times. They will be slightly different sizes but don’t fret, they will cook uniformly. Place tin foil or parchment paper on the pan. Pour the olive oil, spices and salt onto the pan and toss to coat. Spread them evenly in a single layer; you may need two pans. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
Sweet potatoes are a long-lasting storage vegetable and it’s easy to keep these on hand. They are best stored in a cool room or cupboard. I put mine in a basket that has a lid. This encourages air circulation which prevents the accumulation of moisture which leads to spoilage. I just read that if you wrap them in brown paper or newspaper and put them in a cardboard box, they will last six months. I am going to try this as an experiment; I’ll get back to you in May to let you know how it goes.
True story: a friend gave me a Cinderella pumpkin in the fall. I put it on the cold floor of the pantry. I finally got around to baking it for the Fourth of July. The pumpkin had dried out a bit but was still surprisingly good. I made a pumpkin pie for a party. The pie looked quite out of place sitting next to all the berry pies, quite funny! If a pumpkin lasts that long, maybe a sweet potato can too and you can enjoy these all year long.