Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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Sweet Potato Fries are a delicious variation of classic French fries. Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries are cut wedges of sweet potato tossed lightly in oil and coated with spices. They’re baked, so they’re a bit healthier than their fried counterpart.

February 22nd is National “Eat a Sweet Potato Day.” Celebrate by making oven baked sweet potato fries with your dinner tonight! You can also honor the sweet potato by eating some sweet potato chips, making mashed sweet potatoes, bake whole sweet potatoes, make potato skins, spiralize your sweet potatoes or bake a sweet potato pie. Use the hashtag #eatasweetpotato or #nationaleatasweetpotatoday if you are sharing on social media.

“Sweet potatoes in their jackets have a large comfort value built into them.”

-Bryce Courtenay

About Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet potatoes are a sweet, starchy root vegetable. You’ll see them in orange, white and purple. The orange variation is often referred to as a “yam” in the United States, but is not related to real yams in any way!

Sweet potatoes are distantly related to the common white potato. A lot of people turn to sweet potatoes for their nutritious value.

Ingredients needed:

• orange flesh sweet potatoes
• vegetable or canola oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• paprika
• garlic powder
• dipping sauce of your choice

How to make Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into wedges. Make them all pretty uniform in size so they’ll cook evenly in the oven.

Next, soak the cut sweet potatoes in a bowl of ice water for about 40 minutes. Drain the potatoes and then toss them with oil and spices.

Why do you soak potatoes in water before making fries?

This is an important step! Soaking sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes) in water before baking will draw out some of the starch in the potato. This will help your oven baked sweet potato fries to have a crispy texture (instead of soft or soggy) when baked.

Spread the potatoes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at a high heat (425 degrees F) until crisp and lightly browned- 10 minutes and then stir and flip and bake 10 minutes more.

Serve your oven baked sweet potato fries with your favorite dipping sauce. Some people like classic ketchup or ranch dressing, but I prefer thousand island dressing or burger sauce. That’s the best pairing for sweet potato fries!

Nutritional facts about Sweet Potatoes:

• Sweet potatoes are slightly higher in calories and carbs than white potatoes, but they are more nutritious.
• They are rich in beta carotene (an anti-oxidant), which converts to Vitamin A. This helps with vision and a healthy immune system.
• The high fiber content in sweet potatoes is good for gut/digestive health. Eating a sweet potato helps you feel full and can help your digestive system to run more smoothly.
• Sweet potatoes are still high in carbs, but they’re better for your blood sugar. They have a low glycemic index and will not trigger hunger and contribute to obesity as much as higher glycemic index foods.
• Sweet potatoes are gluten-free.
• They are a low fat food! 1 cup of sweet potato has 180 calories, 41.4 carbs, 4g protein, .3g fat and 6.6g fiber.