These sweet potatoes!!
The above statement is the only way I could describe to you how I felt while consuming these gems. A soft, thick, sweet inside surrounded by a burnt crisp caramelized edge.
I have to thank my father for tuning me on to using the broiler to get the nice, burnt tips. I shall never go back.
Depending on how you cut these you can have thick, soft fries with a slightly burnt top/edge or if you cut them really thin you can get ’em to have a nice char, which resembles baked sweet potato chips. My favorite is cutting them in wedge shapes, so that a portion of them is thick, soft, and chewy and the opposite side is burnt. Play around..
You can make these sweet or savory.
Ingredients:
parchment paper + baking sheet
sweet potatoes
imagination and an appetite
spices (sweet): cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, coconut palm sugar
spices (savory): cayenne pepper, black pepper, red pepper flakes, cajun seasoning (I used this one!), curry powder, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, etc.etc.etc.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Thoroughly wash sweet potatoes and cut into desired shapes
4. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet, add spices, and place into oven for about 20 minutes*. You’ll want the sweet potatoes to have acquired some softness. It’s ok if they are not fully cooked yet, this will happen in the next step.
5. Take out of oven and mix sweet potato fries around so they achieve thorough baking
6. Set oven to low broiler** and bake for 10 minutes, or until tops are slightly burnt
7. Take out of oven and mix around again. If fries aren’t slightly burnt yet, then follow step #8:
8. Place oven on HIGH broiler setting*** and cook for 5 minutes, or until tops are slightly burnt.
9. Let cool slightly and eat.
Recommendations:
For sweet: drizzle some raw honey or maple and a dash of cinnamon
For savory: drizzle unrefined coconut oil, cayenne pepper and some sea salt
Regardless you should eat these with some fat source, such as virgin coconut oil, cold-pressed extra-virg. olive oil, walnuts/pecans etc., avocado, so the fat-soluble beta-carotene can be better absorbed.
NOTES:
– *You may need to cook for more/less time depending on how many sweet potatoes you’re using, as well as the thickness of the fries.
-**You can probably skip the low broiler step and just bake for less time on the high broiler, but I do recommend keeping a careful eye as baking on high broiler can cause foods to burn quickly.
-***The cooking times listed are subjective guidelines, you just want to be able to soften the fries at 350, then get a nice burnt edge in the broiler step. Experiment.
If for some reason these are not devoured after baking, they store well in the fridge. Reheat ’em in the oven for a few minutes to avoid sogginess if you want.
i LOVE this idea, girl! i love sweet potatoes just as you described, with the super thick fleshy centers with the slightly burnt edges. i haven’t ever really experimented with the broiler, but now i am! wooooooo!
yeah yeah! Thankya Caitlin, I hope you enjoy ’em! You got me craving them again argh
:)
These look amazing! Did you remove the parchment paper when you broiled them? I once tried broiling with parchment paper and it caught on fire!
Much thanks Denise :)..No I kept the parchment paper on. I had no issues during the low broiler setting but I did notice that it started to smell funky if I kept it in the oven on high broiler for too long (more than 10 minutes). I advise definitely keeping an eye out! and just to be cautious, perhaps keep it on low broiler or maybe use another non-stick glass container or device. I just wanted to avoid having to use oils/sprays.
Btw, just checked out your site..Love it! Always wanted to try one of those glass bottles..I have a stainless steel bottle that I love, but have always been intrigued by the glass. Do you use them?
Thanks so much! I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow. :) I want to avoid using oil, too, so I’ll just keep an eye on it.
Thanks for checking out our site! I use my glass bottles every day and I love them. (We use everything we sell.) I used to use stainless steel, which I loved, but once I tried glass, my poor stainless bottle hasn’t been touched! I just think that water tastes better in glass.
I’ll let you know how the sweet potatoes turn out!
I use aluminum foil which also crisps up the bottom and won’t burn under the broiler.
I do this all the time for dinner and snacks! Parchment paper is such a lifesaver – you certainly don’t need that oil to make a sweet potato delicious. I bet coconut palm sugar with curry powder would be a wonderful combination. Or maybe some almond butter and cocoa powder for dessert!?
I loveeeee parchment paper for that sole reason exactly! Those flavor combinations sounds divine, I am salivating!
Sweet potatoes are basically a staple in my diet. I love cutting them into circular rounds and wedges also. So healthy and so delish! I haven’t tried making them with the broiler, I will have to experiment!
Right on Jenn, so healthy indeed :). You’ll have to let me know how you like the broiler method!
I’m totally curious, why do you leave out the oil? Oils help your body to absorb the nutrients, so why leave out the olive oil? I make mine with olive oil, salt, and a little bit of pepper. They are very scrumptious!
Hey Brooke! You’re completely right about oil allowing our bodies to absorb the fat soluble vitamins, but I generally add oil when they’re done cooking as some oils aren’t that heat tolerant. I usually dip my sweet potato fries in coconut oil afterwards or eat them with some nuts.
these sound so good…I love sweet potato fries so much and never though of putting them under the broiler…always bake them in wedges or fired them I olive oil…will definitely have to try these now…thanks a lot Bridge for the great idea
Ey Gregory. Glad you enjoy ’em, let me know how they turn out for ya :)
You should try ocra next time you make fries. They taste exactly like the real thing. Same texture and everything!
Oh awesome, good to know! I will fer sure try this. Do you just bake them?
Ooops, I meant yucca root. Not ocra -_- Yucca root tastes juuuust like real french fries. It’s kind of crazy. And yeah you can bake them. Here’s a link: http://africanbites.com/?p=1993
Hahaaaa yeah yucca is good, thanks. I was wondering what you were talking about crazy lady :P