Sweet Potato Fries - Roasted

(pictured: Sweet fries on baking sheet, cooling)

Sweet potatoes make a much healthier fry than white potatoes. However, if you aren’t careful you can make them unhealthy by pouring oil without measuring. Each tablespoon of oil you add to the potatoes increases the fat by 14 grams and 120 calories unnecessarily. If you are trying to watch your fat and calories always measure your oil. You are probably using a lot more than you think.

Why would I choose sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes? Sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of vitamin C, with one potato containing twice the amount that you need in a day. Sweet potatoes are also packed with antioxidants and reduce inflammation. They are also a reasonably good source of fiber. Once you start using sweet potatoes they become something that sneaks into many recipes where they aren't traditionally used.

The idea for the fries came from cooking class this week. I reduced the fat dramatically and added the chili powder for a little subtle heat. If you liked smoked paprika that could be a interesting substitute for the chili powder.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon of canola oil
½ teaspoon of chili powder
½ teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice the potato into ¼ inch slabs. Cut those ¼ inch slabs into ¼ inch potato sticks. Coat the sweet potato with canola oil evenly. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with chili powder and kosher salt and place in a single layer on the sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. The fries will be soft in the center but crunchy on the outside when cooked. If they are not browning sufficiently place them under the broiler for a few minutes.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 175.72
Calories From Fat (36%)- 63.35

Total Fat - 7.17g
Saturated Fat - 0.56g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 548.07mg
Potassium - 450.55mg
Total Carbohydrates - 26.51g
Fiber - 4.12g
Sugar - 5.48g
Protein - 2.12g

Comments:

These fries are best when they are hot out of the oven. The ancho chili powder adds subtle heat to these fries that I really enjoy. They are good served with a lime wedge so that you can add little lime juice to the hot fries. You can also serve them with a flavored mayo if you can have a few fat grams.