Honorary Dish of the Day: Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Honorary Dish of the Day: Wrapping up the week with these delicious sweet and savory Baked Sweet Potato Fries as our honorary dish of the day today! My love for sweet potatoes absolutely knows no bounds, so it comes as no surprise that I am always seeking new ways to transform these naturally sweet and savory treats using different methods into a scrumptious dish 😁. I had a peculiarly strong craving for fries recently, but wanted a healthy version...and that's how the idea to bake sweet potatoes came into mind! Baking/roasting is the perfect alternative cooking process to frying - it not only uses significantly less oil and is therefore a much healthier option, but also strongly enhances the natural sweetness and overall flavor of the root vegetable.
To prepare these simple yet delicious fries, I first pre-heated my oven to 375℉ before proceeding with peeling 2 large sweet potatoes (yes, just 2 of these will yield a surprisingly large amount of fries!) and cut them into round, 1/4 inch slices. I then cut each circular piece into strips lengthwise to obtain as many evenly-sized fries as possible. You want to make sure that you have just enough fries to spread out completely on a large sheet pan without overcrowding to ensure they bake/roast evenly instead of steaming. Once I had completed the cutting process, I spread out the pieces as shown in the picture below and seasoned them generously with ground black pepper, smoked paprika, a drizzle of about 11/2 teaspoon of honey, and some salt to taste. I also tossed the fries lightly with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I then baked them at 375℉ for about 25 - 30 minutes until they were fork tender. The fries should look slightly wilted since a lost of moisture is lost during the baking process. Be sure to check the fries about half-way through the time and turn them to prevent one side from sticking to the sheet pan. Simple yet delicious, these fries can be savored on their own with some ketchup/ranch sauce or paired with an entree as a side dish for a complete meal. Give them a try sometime...they won't disappoint! Enjoy and have a great weekend 😍😋💝
