Author Notes
I seem to go through a lot of sweet potatoes every week. They’re a great pantry staple to have on hand for easy and comforting but healthy meals. I almost never do more than slice them into rounds and then roast with a little bit of olive oil and sea salt. This recipe is the one exception to the rule but it’s still embarrassingly simple. It's adapted from a fantastic recipe for candied sweet potato fries I saw on Tara Stiles' website and requires a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand and it always works. Every single time. It’s also absolutely delicious and can feed a crowd. —Maja Lukic - Veggies & Gin
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Ingredients
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2-3
large organic sweet potatoes, any variety, unpeeled
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2 tablespoons
maple syrup
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2 tablespoons
coconut oil
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a dash of cayenne pepper
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sea salt, to taste
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Scrub the sweet potatoes well but leave the skin on. Slice them into thin French fries. Anything too thin because will dry out in the oven but if you cut them too thick, their texture will be soggy and soft. Try to cut them into a uniform thickness so that they bake evenly.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and melted coconut oil. If the coconut oil is solid (which is its normal state at room temperature), simply pop it into the microwave for a few seconds until it becomes liquid.
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It’s best to do this next step on the baking sheet you’ll be using to bake the fries. Spread the fries on the sheet, pour the maple-coconut mixture over them, and then, using your hands, distribute the maple-coconut mixture over the fries, coating them evenly. This is the part where you have to work quickly because as soon as the coconut oil hits the cold maple syrup and the potatoes, it will start to solidify again, making your task a little bit harder.
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Lightly dust with a little bit of cayenne pepper. And I do mean “lightly.” Don’t be a hero – that stuff is potent and can be overpowering. We are aiming for just a hint of spice.
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Sprinkle sea salt over the fries. The salt plays off the sweetness and is indispensable, in my opinion. Think of the combination of sea salt and dark chocolate or sea salt on the best chocolate chip cookies you have ever tasted. That is what we’re going for here, too.
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Bake the fries for about 20 minutes. Check them halfway to make sure they’re not burning and give them a stir. After about 20 minutes, the bottoms should be browned. Turn your oven’s broiler on and broil for the last 2-5 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. Make sure they do not burn or dry out too much. They should be sticky, caramelized, and browned when they’re done.
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Hit them with a dash of sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven and serve right away. You could eat them the next day, of course, and the flavor will be there but they will definitely be day-old fries. Eating them right away should not be too difficult of a task, though. ;)
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