Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Honey-Lime Dip

The first time I ever tasted a sweet potato fry was at McMenamins when we lived in Portland. They were fried like french fries with just a sprinkling of salt, and they were so so good. I didn't expect to like them because it just sounded weird, but when I bit into that crispy, salty exterior and found a soft, sweet center, I was sold.

One problem: most sweet potato dishes in the US are so full of bad-for-you ingredients (deep frying oil, brown sugar, butter, marshmallows, heck, all of this) that is just cancels out all of the good stuff. And sweet potatoes are very very good for you. They're packed with vitamin C, fiber, and tons of antioxidents, just to name a few. They're also are lower in carbs than a regular potatoes. And if you battle with blood-sugar issues, regular potatoes are disastrous, but ironically "sweet" potatoes are much better. The sweetness comes from complex carbohydrates (the good kind) and not simple carbs (the bad kind) Also, they're tossed in olive oil which is well known for it's healthy qualities. Remember, olive oil is the good oil! This is is great, healthy alternative to french fries and they taste fantastic.

And if you're totally ignoring this post because you don't like the sweet potatoes on the Thanksgiving table, then think again. These are totally different. And kids love them. Making them in frech-fry form is a great way to introduce a food that maybe doesn't get seen on the table very often. Both of my little boys LOVE these. Give it a shot!

FYI:

- One serving is 3 weight watchers points (add 1 extra point for 2T dip)
- These fit into phase 2 of the South Beach Diet
- A serving has 147 calories, 5 g of fat, and 4 grams of fiber.

sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices

 This is how I cut my sweet potatoes:

It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish). When you're ready you'll have something that looks like a pile of carrots and you can trick your kids like I did. Muah ha ha ha ha!

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it.

Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together like in my picture below.

*if you end up needing more than one cookie sheet make sure they are spaced more than one rack apart in your oven to prevent steaming. Also, rotate the pans when you take them out to flip.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time it will take forever, I take a long spatula and get a bunch at at time in the pic below. It's super quick. Just flip, and then make sure they're spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Click on the picture below so you can see the nice caramelization in detail! Mmmm...I want to eat that up right now. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle.

Take them out of the oven and serve immediately. They cool off very quickly so they're best eaten right away. Serves about 4.

Oh, and just because every fry needs a dip, I made one up for these. Honestly, they don't need a dip, they're really really yummy just on their own. But dipping is always fun, isn't it? If you want a dip, whip this up while the fries are in the oven, or it can be made way in advance.

low-fat plain yogurt, honey, mayo, lime juice, cumin, oregano, parsley, onion and salt.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Honey-Lime Dip

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

1/8 tsp black pepper

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper. 

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. 

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp.  Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Honey-Lime Dip

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt

1 T mayo (low cal is fine)

1/2 T honey

1 Tbs fresh lime juice

1/4 t cumin

1/8 t oregano

1 t parsley

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t kosher salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.  Chill until ready to use.