Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe for Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredient:
3 sweet potatoes (about 400g) – note 1

Seasonings:
½ teaspoon salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
⅔ tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
¼ teaspoon paprika powder (optional)
⅛ teaspoon chilli powder (optional)

Methods:

1. Preheat oven at 200°C. Prepare two baking sheets.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes (note 3). Wash and rinse them several times until the water is not cloudy. Soak them in the water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat them very dry with kitchen papers so that they can be coated well with oil.
3. Cut off both pointy ends of the sweet potatoes. Cut each into slices, each slice into sticks. Set aside.
4. Mix together all the seasonings in a small bowl.
5. Put the sticks in a mixing bowl or a large plate, spoon the seasoning over the sticks. Toss them with your hands until they are well coated.
6. Divide the sticks into 2 portions. Arrange them in a single layer, without overlapping, on the baking sheets.
7. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. After that, remove from the oven, gently flip the fries, batch by batch, with a metal spoon so that they can be cooked on all sides. Return the sheets to the oven and swap their position. Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes, or until they are properly firmed up and crisp. You can shake and rotate the baking sheet half way through. Pay close attention towards the last 10 minutes as the edges and garlic powder, if used, may get burnt. Remove those fries that are already done and continue baking the rest.
8. After baking, remove the baking sheets from the oven. Allow the fries to sit on the sheets for 5 minutes.
9. Best to serve them immediately.

Notes:

1. Feel free to use any varieties of sweet potatoes you prefer. Choose plump, round sweet potatoes as they make cutting easier.
2. Spices and seasonings are optional but having them will surely give more flavour to the fries. Use any spices and seasonings that you like.
3. You may choose to leave the skin on. This will give the fries a little more nutrition but a chewy texture.
4. You can cut the sticks as thin or thick as you like. I cut mine into 1cm thick. The length should not around 8cm so that it can be flipped easily during baking. If it is too long, cut it into half.
5. These sweet potatoes fries are best to be consumed within the same day. If you need a smaller portion, cut the amount by half.
6. The baking time depends on the size of the sticks. Some cook faster than the other. The longer you bake, the firmer the fries are. But, they will not turn out as overly crispy as those fried in hot oil.
7. The baking temperature should only be used as a reference as different model has different setting.