Sweet Potato Fries
Surprisingly enough, french fries have never been a real trigger food for me. Don’t get me wrong, I do like them….I just don’t dream about them in the same way I dream about cookies. I don’t think I ever really cared one way or another about sweet potatoes until I started eating paleo. Now, of course, I love them. I’ll eat them no matter how they’re cooked.
Have you read Sweet Potato Power? It’s a quick read and has some terrific sweet potato recipes in it. It’s also loaded with fun and interesting facts about sweet potatoes. Here’s just a few of the things I learned about sweet potatoes:
- Sweet potatoes have more than 100% of the daily requirement for vitamin A.
- They contain high amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect our bodies from free radicals.
- Sweet poatoes have more fiber per serving than oatmeal.
- They are the best source for bioavailable (absorbable) beta-carotene.
- The Center for Science in Public Interest has ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition (ahead of spinach and broccoli).
But, best of all, they taste like dessert!
Nutrition powerhouse
So, I wanted some fries, but I didn’t want soggy, limp fries. I wanted them to turn out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Probably pretty easy to get that kind of result if you have a deep fry machine, but I don’t. In restaurants, not only do they use a deep fryer, they also often dip their fries in flour. I thought I’d try some arrowroot powder instead of flour to see if I could get that extra crispy outside to my fries. It worked…and they were delicious. Maybe I’ll start dreaming about fries after all !!
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2-3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2-3 Tablespoons oil of choice (olive oil or coconut oil)
- salt to taste
What to do
- Peel your sweet potatoes and slice them into sticks.
cut into sticks
- Soak in a bowl of cold water for an hour.
- Remove from water, drain in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Put your arrowroot powder into a zip lock bag and throw the potatoes in.
- Seal the bag and shake away until all of the potatoes are coated.
shake, shake
- Lay your potatoes out on a parchment lined baking sheet. This is very important!! I did not line my baking sheet and the fries stuck 🙁
- Drizzle coated fries with oil and toss to coat with your hands.
- Spread the oil coated fries out on your baking sheet so that they aren’t touching.
Line your baking sheet
- Bake in a 220 C oven for 20 minutes.
yum!!
- Remove from oven and turn them over with a spatula. Return to oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
crispy and delicious
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I am so excited to try this!! It has been my mission to get crispy fries…ice water, egg whites, you name it, I have tried it!! The only thing I did that worked was cook them until they were burnt..then they were crispy…but also black:(
Well, that is one way to get them crispy (but I bet they still taste good black!).
I can’t wait to try these. I have also had black fries 🙁
Don’t let Julie and her black fries fool you—everything she makes is delicious and I bet her black fries were tasty 🙂
Wow, I’ve never thought of adding arrowroot powder! Must try this! Tomorrow is my once a week carb feasting so this will be perfect to satisfy my fries craving! Thanks for sharing. 😀
Enjoy your carb feast!!
What is arrowroot powder and can I get it in Canada
Hi Tammie,
Arrowroot is very similar to corn starch except it doesn’t come from corn. My friend here has her mom bring it to her from Canada so I’m sure you can get it there. You can also use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot.
Jos,
Your sweet potato fries looked awesome and yummy in your pictures. Can’t wait to try them too. I think I’ll fry mine in some coconut oil and sprinkle some cinnamon on them!
Thanks for sharing the link and recipe
I will make these for my once a week Carbnite also, after a great leg workout!!
Lisa, do you live in Switzerland? I was in Zuoz climbing glaciers 10 years ago.
Hi Debbie,
Yes, I do indeed live in Switzerland. I live about 20 minutes outside Zürich. Great idea to add cinnamon 🙂
Love love sweet potato! I have read “Sweet Potato Power” and tried some of recipe, they were really delicious!
Gone try this tomorrow for lunch!
Thanks for sharing!
Not surprised at all Christian….you try out everything!! Thanks 🙂
I had this for lunch today! OMG they were PERFECT crispy and crunchy!
Thanks again for sharing! Have a wonderful Sunday evening!
Thanks Christian!
Where do you buy arrowroot?
I get mine at the bio laden (Apfelbaum) in Uster.
Yum! Thanks for posting this! Can’t wait to try it out. Is arrowroot powder easy to find in Switzerland?
Hi Jenn,
I found mine at a bio laden in Uster. I would look in a bio laden or reform haus near you to see if you can find it (in German it’s called Pfeilwurz pulver). Alternatively, you can order from the British Food Shop (in Switzerland) and have it delivered. Here is the link http://www.britshop.ch/__product/6/1329/Baking-ingredients—Baking/Dr-Oetker-Ground-Arrowroot
Comment
Oops,sorry!
Meant to say this is a good reminder to start a sweet potato in a waterglass! I use three toothpicks to keep in/above the water like you would with an Avocado. I plant them out into a big tub in may.
Great idea!! I just might have to start growing some, too 🙂
What does the arrowroot do?
Hi Karla,
It absorbs some of the moisture from the potato and forms a crispy coating.
Its looks yummy.. I have to try it 🙂
But, What is the meaning/ kind arrowroot? Because, I translate to Google, but the result is not satisfied. Would you please explain what is arrowroot?
Thank you.
Hi Opiy,
Arrowroot is very much like corn starch. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page that explains about it. On the left hand side bar of the Wikipedia page is a list of languages. Try clicking on your language and hopefully you will find a good translation.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I think coconut flour would work just as well in case you can’t get arrow root powder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot
Will have to try these. A good idea to add the arrowroot powder. Maybe doing it this way I will be able to get the kids to eat them. 🙂 Nicole
Hi Nicole’
Well, look on the bright side…if your kids don’t eat them, there will be more for you 😉