Some would say that Homemade Sweet Potato Fries are even better than regular fries. Take your shoe string potatoes up a notch by using sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. The best part is that if you have kids, they will love these fries too!
French fries go perfectly with burgers for summer or with my Fall of the Bone Barbecue Pork Ribs made in the oven, my Roasted Chicken with Stuffing, or my Dry Rub Roasted Chicken Wings.
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Easy to make and ready in 45 minutes from pantry to table.
Finish off these Sweet Potato Fries with some garlic aioli, salt and herbs and you will have a side dish that's ready to rock and roll.
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Ingredients
These sweet potato fries are made with a few simple ingredients that you will have handy.
- Sweet Potato
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Garlic
- Herbs
- Potato Starch (or any Paleo starch)
If you are not on a Paleo or Whole30 diet, you can sub in regular flour or corn starch.
See recipe card for quantities.
Do You Need to Soak Your Potatoes?
There is this great debate out there on whether to soak your fries or not.
It's been said that soaking potatoes before frying can help achieve a crispier texture because when you soak raw potato slices in water, for at least 30 minutes, it helps to remove excess starch.
The reduction in starch can lead to a better crisp when the potatoes are fried because the lower starch content prevents them from sticking together and promotes browning.
After soaking you should dry your potatoes thoroughly before frying them to prevent excess moisture from causing steam which can hinder crispiness.
I'm here to tell you that I have tried both making sweet potato fries by soaking them in water and not soaking them. My honest opinion is that it doesn't make a difference!
I would say, save your time and don't soak them. Skip this step and proceed with cutting and baking.
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
You'll need a little bit of elbow grease and a good knife to make these shoe string sweet potato fries.
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Start by washing and scrubbing your sweet potatoes and then slicing them down the side lengthwise.
Once you have sliced them, lay each slice on the cutting board and slice sticks about ¼ inches thick. Try not to slice them thicker as they will not crisp up at all.
Note: Sweet potato fries will never get as crispy as regular potato fries.
Put your potatoes in a large bowl. Mix the starch/flour into the potatoes until the potatoes are evenly covered. Coat with the olive oil. Add chopped garlic, toss.
Place the fries on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, laying them in a single row on the baking sheet lengthwise. Do not over crowd the potatoes otherwise they will steam and you will get a soggy fry.
Storage
The bad, unfortunately leftovers of these sweet potato fries do not store well. The good, this means you need to gobble them all up!
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
You don't need to soak your fries to get a perfect sweet potato fry. Skip the soaking, save time and get right to the chopping.
Save seasoning until your fries are cooked and out of the oven. Salting your fries will make them sweat during the cooking process and create more moisture resulting in the potato not getting as crispy.
Leave your seasoning until they are out of the oven so that they don't burn during the cooking process.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some substitutions for you to consider to make these your own.
- Potatoes - use russet potatoes to make regular shoe string french fries
- Herbs - add garlic, chili or jalapeno peppers to spice things up.
- Dip/Sauce - dip these beauties in homemade mayonnaise, ketchup, siracha or garlic aioli.
Have another idea to sub-in? Go for it, make this recipe your own by personalizing it.
Reflection: Cooking is like science, you need to experiment with different combinations to come up with the perfect result (for you). But, don't worry if it's not perfect. Pat yourself on the back for trying, you deserve it! Just try and figure out what you did wrong and do it different next time.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Use a plastic cutting board for easy clean up. Plastic is best as unlike wooden cutting boards will warp or splinter and some of those splinters could end up in your food.
Invest in good knives for slicing and cutting dense vegetables.
I love my Wilton non stick baking sheets particularly for baking and these sweet potatoes are no exception. Using non stick baking sheets makes for easy clean up especially when you pair it up with parchment paper.
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Recipe Details
Homemade Sweet Potato French Fries
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caIngredients
- 15 oz Sweet Potatoes 3 sweet potatoes
- 2 tsp Potato Starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Wash and dry your potatoes
- Slice lengthwise about ¼ inch, then lay slices down on cutting board and cut into about ¼ sticks.
- Put your potatoes in a large bowl.
- Mix the starch/flour into the potatoes until the potatoes are evenly covered.
- Coat with the olive oil. Add chopped garlic, toss.
- Place the fries on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, laying them in a single row on the baking sheet lengthwise. Do not over crowd the potatoes otherwise they will steam and you will get a soggy fry.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Add salt and any other seasoning of your choice.
Notes
Top tip
You don't need to soak your fries to get a perfect sweet potato fry. Skip the soaking, save time and get right to the chopping. Save seasoning until your fries are cooked and out of the oven. Salting your fries will make them sweat during the cooking process and create more moisture resulting in the potato not getting as crispy. Leave your seasoning until they are out of the oven so that they don't burn during the cooking process.Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Anna says
These turn out perfect every time I make them! My husband loves how flavorful they are. Much more fun than eating a regular sweet potato!
AmyG says
Thanks Anna. Glad to hear that they turned ok!