Spicy Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, hot from the oven!

(Updated November 2008) Lately I've been finding a string of recipes where you take a bite and know immediately this is something you'll be making over and over. That's just how I felt about these spicy sweet potato fries. Who would have imagined that these tasty roasted sweet potatoes dusted with a spicy mixture of ground herbs and spices would taste so amazing? Just for the record, I tested this recipe on my friend Robin, and she also went crazy over them. She actually stood by my kitchen counter eating the ones left in the pan while I was photographing the plate, and when I came back they were gone!

The first time I made the recipe I used pre-cut sweet potatoes, which were truly a time-saver. However, although the pre-cut ones were good enough, when I cut my own sweet potatoes I made them a tiny bit thicker, and I thought the results were better. Just use a potato peeler to peel the sweet potatoes and cut into pieces about 3 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.

It's fairly important not to crowd the pan or the sweet potatoes won't brown properly, so be sure you can lay them out in a single layer like this. (Next time I'd use a pan that's even bigger!)  I sprayed my pan with olive oil, but non-stick spray would also work.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches. Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com. I found the recipe via Food Musings, who also loved them.)

Ingredients:
sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into strips about 3 inches long and 3/4 inches thick.

In mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together coriander, fennel, oregano, and Aleppo pepper. Mix in salt. (This makes enough for several batches of sweet potatoes, so you'll need a small jar to store the extra.)

In plastic bowl, toss together cut sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. You will need about 1 T olive oil and 2 tsp. of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how spicy you like it.

Spray flat roasting pan with non-stick spray. (I would use a non-stick cookie sheet if I had one small enough to fit into my toaster oven!) Spread out sweet potatoes in single layer. Roast 30-40 minutes, turning about every ten minutes. Sweet potatoes should be softened through and lightly browned when they're done. (They will only be slightly crisp. If you wanted them crisper I might increase the temperature to 450 F or use convection if you have it, but sweet potatoes never get as crisp as fried potatoes.) Serve hot.

Sweet Potato Info:
Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often called "yams" or "sweet yams" in the United States. This recipe could probably be made with white-fleshed sweet potatoes as well, but I haven't tried it that way.

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South Beach Suggestions:
Sweet potatoes are considered a "good" food for the South Beach Diet (unlike potatoes, which are very high on the glycemic index.) This would be a great side dish for phase two or three.

More Sweet Potato Fries from Other Bloggers:
(Recipes from other blogs may or may not be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha for Sweet Potato Fries from Kalyn's Kitchen
Sweet Frites from Erin's Kitchen
Robin's Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Is It EDible?
Cumin Sweet Potato Fries with Lime Dipping Sauce from Just Braise
Grilled Sweet Potato Fries from Kirsten's Home Cooking