Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
Can’t beat sweet potato fries and a vat of guac.
There’s not much more satisfying than nutritious, homemade sweet potato fries. Local organic sweet potatoes provide a hefty dose of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and phosphorous!
In most restaurants you’ll get sweet potato fries deep fried in rancid, carcinogenic industrial vegetable or canola oils but this blasphemy can be avoided by setting time aside to make them from scratch at home in healthy fats like virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil, grass-fed/finished beef tallow, nitrate-free lard, or authentic olive oil.
Ingredients
organic sweet potatoes (orange, purple, Okinawan or Japanese variety, whatever’s at your farmer’s market) - as many as you feel like making, chopped into your preferred sized wedges. They’re organic, so LEAVE THE SKIN ON!
high quality, healthy cooking fat of your choice (virgin, cold pressed organic coconut oil, grass-fed/finished tallow, nitrate-free lard, or authentic biodynamic olive oil)
sea salt (I like Icelandic sea salt, Peruvian mountain salt, or Redmond salt as the least toxic/contaminated salts available at the time of writing)
optional: ground organic cumin and paprika, or dried herbs like rosemary or thyme. To make it spicy: a pinch of cayenne.
unbleached parchment paper for the pan to keep the food from touching aluminum, because you’re worth it
Method
Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking tray(s) with parchment paper.
In a bowl, drizzle a small amount of fat on the wedges. Toss to cover them evenly. Too much oil and you’ll have soggy fries, unless you somehow prefer them that way.
Toss any herbs or spices in with the wedges so they’re evenly coated. In the photo I used 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika.
Lay out the fries on a single layer with adequate spacing between them for crispier fries. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through. Flip the fries in the middle of cooking if you want to take the effort.
Remove taters from the oven and crack sea salt over your perfectly roasted taters before serving!
To make guac
Get 2 or 3 ripe organic avocados, 1 clove grated organic garlic, juice of 1/2 organic lemon, sea salt and organic black pepper to taste. 1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro and diced jalapeño can be great additions if you have them.
Mix it all in a bowl with a fork to mash it up
Store in the fridge sealed for 2-3 days
A microplane grater will grate the garlic nicely. Leave the garlic exposed to air for 5-10 minutes to activate the beneficial compounds. According to Ayurveda, for most benefits, remove the green part from the middle of the garlic, too (chop it in half and peel it out).
I didn’t have any cilantro or jalapeño, but a good serving of guac can be made quickly with the basics: garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt. Add anything else you like, such as chili flakes and a bit of raw onion, and mash it up with a fork.
Tips for optimal crisp
Japanese sweet potato version
If you have space on the tray, definitely try to space them out with at least 1/2 inch between each fry. At my parents’ place, the mini toaster oven is convenient to use (no pre-heating required), but the tray is super small so I often just have them crammed onto the tray as shown above, which is sacrilege if you want truly crispy sweet potato fries!
Bake the fries near the top rack in the oven, as this will help improve crispiness. If using two trays, stack them closest to the top half of the oven.
Unbleached parchment paper is great: avoid aluminum touching the food, and improve the way the food cooks at once.
I HIGHLY suggest making these pasture-raised chicken wings or grass-fed/finished steak to go along with the sweet potato fries. Brussels sprouts, guac and a spoonful of lacto-fermented sauerkraut would also go well, or try dipping them in homemade tomato ketchup!
