Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato "Fries".  Photo by Mary M Payne

 I haven't posted a recipe for a long time but you can bet that I am often finding and experimenting with new dishes.  There is nothing worse than a food rut. 

  And if one is not going to eat industrial food then one had better love being in the kitchen.... concocting and tweaking new ideas that will satisfy the emotional needs as well as the body's needs.  

You also have to admit that there is nothing like home cooking for that little extra enthusiasm and care infused into it.  A machine really can't do that.  Thank goodness robots aren't there yet.  

So today I made sweet potato "frites" which are really not fried at all, but baked.   I found the recipe in Food Matters: The Recipe Book by James Colquhoun and Larentine ten Bosch. 

These sweet potatoes will make a nice side dish or snack.  I added the ¼ t of turmeric and ½ t. of ground cumin found in the recipe as my experiment as these are seldom used flavors for me. 

Basically, the recipe asks that one peels and cuts the sweet potatoes into large "fries". Then with a large bowl or paper bag, you coat them in olive or coconut oil along with the spices (except the salt). 

Next we spread the pieces on a baking tray so that they don't touch and put them in the oven for 20-35 minutes at # 5, 180 degrees C. or 350 F.   First we sprinkle with sea salt. 

 I am not sure you can ever get the crispiness of a potato that's been scalded in hot fat when you bake it.   I had to turn up the heat for the last 10 minutes or so since they weren't getting crispy.  I may have to use higher heat to begin with to see if I can achieve more of a crispy outside before the inside bakes entirely.   But the flavor is good. 

The sweet potato has a lower glycemic index than a regular potato meaning your blood sugar won't spike. Other perks for using sweet potatoes are that they are  full of beta-carotene and vitamin C.   Turmeric contains bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties and cumin is high in anti-oxidents.   

 But none of this will do me any good if the people I feed don't like the taste. 

  The fun for me is to see if I can get Monsieur, the connoisseur, to enjoy my dishes.  If he likes the dish, I am pretty sure I've got a winner.  

 So far, he is praising the "fries". 

 Today we will have them with a tasty green salad, some venison filet and a glass of fine French regional wine, "bien sûr .