Baked Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries

I have a great love for sweet potatoes. There was a time when I wouldn't think twice about them. Those days are long gone and I have been finding as many ways as I can to enjoy their sweetness, nutrition and versatility. These baked shoestring fries are yet another great way to enjoy this wonderful root vegetable!

Now I must confess that baking sweet potato fries won't make the majority of them crispy (at least not for me), so be warned that most of your shoestring fries will be on the soft side while some will get a bit more french fry like and crispy. I still find them to be great on the soft side, even if I'm alone on that one, and I see myself having these every now and then. If you're looking for a truly 'crispy' fry this may not be the recipe for you. This is one of those give and takes, and I certainly don't mind. Just the flavor alone is great!

But wait a minute! You can also try using a julienne tool (shown below) making very thin shoestring fries and get a little more crispiness out of them if cooked just right. I encourage you to try both ways suggested here to find the perfect shoestring fry for you.

I seasoned these with mineral salt, garlic powder & ground chipotle and paired it with this Sriracha Cashew Cream. It's a nice combination of sweet and spice! I also like to add a light dusting of cornmeal to mine. It gives an extra crunch that I love but this is an option. You can just as well eat these with a fork if needed, kinda like the way you would with chili fries. In fact, these would be great under a vegan chili making for sweet potato chili fries...that may be something in the near future! You can also serve these alongside a sandwich or eat alone as a snack or light meal. I made The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf yesterday and made myself a lentil loaf sandwich today with the leftovers. It made for a great sandwich and these fries paired perfectly with it. 

 As suggested above, you may also like to try using a julienne tool (as shown below) to cut your sweet potato creating even thinner shoestring fries...two ways to try and see what works best for you. I love them both ways!

This method is a little easier with less steps involved. You don't have to bother with washing your potatoes after slicing. It's a little easier to julienne them and they will have a more uniform shape. They will cook for the same amount of time but at a lower temperature.

 You may even find you get more crispy fries with this method. I encourage you to find the way you prefer as your go to method. Have fun testing them out!

Baked Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato per person
• drizzle of grapeseed or olive oil
• mineral salt, to taste
• light dusting of cornmeal, optional
• sprinkle of garlic powder, ground chipotle, thyme, cayenne or smoked paprika, to taste and depending on your mood (or any combo you like)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees if slicing by hand. (if julienning see baking instructions below)

Wash your potato and remove any unsightly areas. Slice the sweet potato in half, place flat side down and cut thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick or smaller. Then turn your thinly sliced pieces on their side and do the same as before cutting thin slices. Try to get them as uniform in thickness as possible so they cook evenly. You may have to go through after cutting and double check your work.

Rinse your potatoes to help remove some of the starch. Dry well removing as much moisture as possible using a large dish towel. (You may also try not washing one time to see if it really makes much of a difference to you...I'm not sure it makes much to me but have it here for good measure.)

Place potatoes on your rimmed cookie sheet/s (I used two), add a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon), toss gently to coat. Place potatoes in a single layer, preferably spread out so they don't touch much, sprinkle with mineral salt and seasoning of choice. Bake for 15 minutes, remove sheet/s and rotate positions, bake for another 15 -20 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 15 minutes so they don't burn...you may lose some and ending cooking times will greatly depend on your oven. Best served immediately with choice of condiments. 

For julienning your sweet potatoes...

Preheat oven to 350. They will be a bit thinner and should be baked at a lower temp but for the same amount of time as if slicing by hand.

Wash potatoes and remove any unsightly areas. Trim the ends if you like (I usually skip this step). Julienne your sweet potato.

Place on cookie sheet, you may need two, toss with oil, spread in a single layer as much as you can, sprinkle with spices and bake for 15 minutes. Turn sheet around and rotate positions. You can also use a fork and lift the shoestring fries up moving them around a bit. Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, careful towards the end as they may cook and burn quickly at this point. Keep an eye on them, removing any pieces that are too brown...you may lose some and ending cooking times will greatly depend on your oven. Allow them to cool a few minutes, they will crispen up a bit. Best served right away with choice of condiments.

Notes: 

Feel free to use other spices instead, or in addition too, like garlic powder, nutritional yeast, cumin, chili powder, curry, cinnamon or smoked paprika, etc...as well as other herbs.

Enjoy!