Sweet Potato Fries

I just recently became a fan of sweet potato fries.  I mean if you think about, why take such a wonderful treat that is french fries and turn it into something sweet and orange! Besides, sweet potatoes are meant to be cooked during the month of November, not year round and served next to a burger! No way!

However, as of the past year or so, I’ve come around and have realized that sweet potato fries have a wonderful trait. They’re delicious plain, salted, sweet, or what I’ve found to be the most enjoyable: spicy! Perhaps this ties in to the fact that I’ll add sriracha and chili flakes to almost anything if they’re around.

So I stumbled across this spicy blend of ingredients that retain the sweetness of the potato, but have a heat element that rounds out the two flavors in quite a spectacular way.

I like cutting the potato into about 2 inch pieces in length, about ¼ inch wide.  The easiest way to accomplish this is by cutting the sweet potato in fourths, then cutting each slice again into fourths (or thirds if you’re cutting the edge pieces).

Although the size of the fries is completely up to you, it is good to aim for them all to be the same size for baking purposes. I personally enjoy a crispy or borderline burnt one every now and then, so I’ll vary how thin or short I cut them from time to time.

Once coated in spice, evenly distribute on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes has passed, remove from oven and turn the sweet potatoes once and pop them back in the oven for another 5-15 minutes, depending on how soft or crunch you want them.

Serve as a side dish or a snack!

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon thyme

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut potatoes lengthwise in quarters, then cut into wedges (about 2 inches long, ½ inches wide).

Place potato spices in a large mixing bowl.

Combine spices and olive oil and toss with potatoes to coat.

Evenly distribute on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once.