Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Crispy shoestring sweet potato fries are a guilt-free way to enjoy fast food

I've tried my hand at baked fries before with several fails: one time I used a flat baking sheet and hot oil splashed to the bottom of my oven causing the kitchen to fill with black smoke, one time all the fries stuck to the bottom of the baking sheet, and other times they were never crispy enough. I had pretty much given up until I accidently stumbled into this recipe during our food cleanse earlier this year. I wasn't planning on making fries, just roasted sweet potatoes, but found that I could easily use the same method I do for normal roasted vegetables and just cut the potatoes into super thin matchstick pieces. The key is to keep the sweet potatoes cut into uniform pieces and make sure that you use plenty of oil so that they won't stick to the baking sheet. Only turn them once during cooking so that they have a chance to get crispy and hold their shape. You'll be left with thin, crispy baked fries that rival those made in the deep fryer. And since sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and nutrients, it's a side dish you can feel good about eating.

Note: This exact recipe will work for regular Russet potatoes as well, but the cooking time may vary slightly.

Related Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Cakes with Creamy Herb Dip
- Garlic Hassleback Potatoes
- Baked Potato Bites


Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

• Preheat the oven to 425F.
• Cut 2 large sweet potatoes* into match-stick size pieces, keeping the fries as uniform in size as possible.
• Toss the sweet potatoes with 3 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and the leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional).
• Arrange the fries in a single layer on a large baking sheet, making sure not to crowd them too much.**
• Cook the fries for 30-35 minutes, carefully turning them over with a spatula halfway through.
• Let the fries cool for a few minutes, then check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Serves four (side dish)

*You want red sweet potatoes, also known as garnet yams.

**If the potatoes are crowded, they will steam and won't get crispy.