There are times I really have a craving for french fries, in particular, sweet potato fries. I won’t make them very often using my big fryer because I’m a bit lazy and don’t care to pull it out and get it set up for just the two of us. That’s when I’ll make my oven sweet potato fries. They’re fast, easy and a lot less messy than the fryer version.
Oven Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients: Makes 3 to 4 servings
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into long strips, 1/2 inch wide.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- Tiny dash of cayenne pepper
- Optional; 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a sheet pan with Silpat or a sheet of parchment. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium size bowl with the olive oil and toss to coat. Evenly spread the coated sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet pan. Mix the salt, the two peppers and garlic powder together in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned. Let cool for around 5 to 6 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle a bit more salt on them to taste.
Notes: The size of the sweet potato strips will determine how fast they’ll bake. The thinner the strips the faster they bake and vice versa. The amount of seasoning you use is purely to your taste, so do as you like. Be very light handed with the cayenne pepper. It’s meant to be a background note to the fries, not the main feature, LOL. The recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on how many servings you need. You can have a bit of fun by adding a few additional herbs and spices to the potatoes. I prefer mine with just salt and the two peppers so that the sweet potatoes shine through. I know what you’re thinking; can you make these with russet potatoes? You bet.
These oven sweet potato fries are very simple to make. A side benefit to this is I also don’t feel quite as guilty partaking in them because they’re baked, not fried. I can have them anytime I like, as long as I have the sweet potatoes on hand. So when you have a hankering for oven sweet potato fries, give these a whirl. Enjoy.
Time to eat…
If you enjoyed my “Oven Sweet Potato Fries,” check out my Smashed Lemon Potatoes, Crunchy Garbanzo Beans, and my Refrigerator Pickles.