A recent trip to the farmer’s market led to us bringing home produce boxes with 6 massive sweet potatoes. With no idea how to approach such a large portion of sweet potatoes, I turned to a classic snack: the sweet potato fry.
I’ll admit, my sweet potato fry recipe has improved drastically since taking college biology and attempting to apply it to food. I now understand the importance of starches and different enzymes, and I found it refreshing to apply to my daily life. What we need to know is why the sweet potato gets its name. It has more sugar than a russet potato and starches are really important for that crispy edge. This is why we’ll add starch to the outside of the fry with seasoning.
I’ve always been told to boil homemade fries before baking and I did the same for this recipe for the best results. It helps get that fluffy center while the outside stays crispy. The cold water bath stops the potatoes from overcooking and the cornstarch is absolutely necessary for truly crispy fries, so don’t skip out!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potato, cut and peeled
- 3-4 cups water, for boiling
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 4-6 tbsp. seasoning of choice
This recipe is for about two cups of sweet potato fries. To properly measure this, peel and cut your sweet potatoes into fries.
Keeping the fries uniform, place them vertically in a pint measuring cup until it is full. This recipe is easily doubled or halved depending on your sweet potato supply. and demand.
For now, I’ll be storing the extra raw sweet potatoes in a cool, dark, and dry place until I’m ready to make another batch. They can last quite a while, but I don’t think you’ll need them to!
Instructions
- Add a pot with 3-4 cups of water to a medium burner and set to boil. A generous pinch of salt will make the water boil faster and slightly flavor the potatoes.
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. The skin will get tough once baked, so it’s best if removed before continuing. Preheat your oven to 425F.
- Cut the freshly washed potatoes into 1/4-1/3″ thick strips. Anything wider will not cook properly and anything thinner risks burning under such high heat.
- Once the water has come to a rolling boil, add all the raw fries and boil for 6-7 minutes. This will help give it a fluffy inside while the outer edge crisps. Keep lidded.
- Strain your fries and gently dry them by dumping them onto a dry cloth. Once mostly dry to the touch, toss into a wide, flat dish with your cornstarch and seasoning mix.
- Spray a wire rack and place it on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray or drizzle a small amount of oil on the fries as well to help them crisp on the edges.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes and add a pinch of salt immediately once removed.
Well, there you have it… super crispy oven-baked sweet potato fries that will have you and your family coming back for seconds!
I enjoyed these with savory seasoning and fry sauce and the result was well worth the wait. Be sure to have your water boiling and the oven preheating as you prep the ingredients or you will be wasting a lot of time in the long run!
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