If you’re reading this post and you haven’t voted yet, I’d prefer that you bookmark this recipe, go find your local polling place, and come back and read this later. Really! Go vote! And please, if you’re in San Diego, don’t let this silly rain keep you from voting in this historic election.
But when it’s all over and we can relax and (hopefully) breathe a sigh of relief, I want you to make these oven-roasted sweet potato french fries. I’ve made several versions of these over the years but this batch is by far the best. As usual, it’s the simplest combination of ingredients that makes me the happiest!
If you’ve never eaten oven-roasted sweet potato fries, you need to know that they won’t be as crispy as the deep-fried restaurant version. But I think the flavor of these can’t be beat and I don’t even miss the crunch.
For those of us who aren’t a huge fan of sweet potato dishes that are overly sweet, this is the perfect way to reap the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes and still enjoy a savory snack.
And what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t include a quick recipe for a Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce? You’ll find it at the very end of this post!
Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Rosemary and Garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small clove of garlic, peeled
2 T. olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, mash together the garlic, salt, and rosemary to form a paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put ingredients into a small bowl and mash the garlic, rosemary and salt against the side of the bowl with a fork. It takes a bit more effort, but you’ll be able to work it into a paste.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic paste; set aside.
4. Scrub sweet potatoes and cut off any blemishes that you wouldn’t want to eat. Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch pieces. Stacking two pieces together, cut potatoes into 1/2 inch strips. Do the same with remaining potato.
5. Put potato strips into a large bowl; Add oil mixture and toss well until all potatoes are well coated.
6. Spread potatoes out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (the parchment is optional, but makes for easier clean up!). If you don’t use parchment, make sure to grease the baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or some extra olive oil.
7. Roast potatoes for 30-35 minutes, checking every ten minutes and rotating the pan for even browning. Every once in a while check to see if the potatoes are browning too much on the bottom. If that’s the case, turn them over. I didn’t have that problem, but you never know! Keep a careful watch towards the end and remove as soon as the smallest pieces just barely start to blacken on the ends.
yield: two servings
Recipe notes: Two medium sweet potatoes will serve 2-3 people as an appetizer. I think you could toss in one more potato without needing any more garlic paste or oil. But if you are cooking for a crowd, double all the ingredients and plan on using two baking sheets. Remember to keep the potatoes in one layer and don’t crowd them too much or they won’t brown evenly. These fries are best served right out of the oven!
Combine finely chopped rosemary leaves, kosher salt, and one garlic clove then pound and grind them together to form a paste.
In a small bowl, mix the rosemary garlic paste with the olive oil.
Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.
Stacking two slices together, cut potatoes into 1/2 inch strips.
Put the cut sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the rosemary garlic oil mixture.
Now toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated with the oil mixture.
Spread the potatoes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast the sweet potato fries in a 425 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Check them every ten minutes, and stir or turn them if they appear to be getting dark on the bottom. Watch carefully towards the end because they can burn quickly!
Although these fries are great on their own, who doesn’t enjoy a special dipping sauce every now and again? Ranch would work well, but I really enjoyed the buttermilk blue cheese dressing that’s served with sweet potato fries at one of my favorite local restaurants, Urban Solace. If you live in San Diego and you’ve never been there, be sure to check out their Sunday Bluegrass Brunch for some great food, great atmosphere, and great music!
Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
2 oz. dry blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
dash of onion powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste
yield: approx. 2/3 cup of dressing
For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!
Related Recipes:
Around the Web:
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Dani Spies
- Curried Sweet Potato Fries from Green Lite Bites
- Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
- Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce from A Veggie Venture
- Grilled Sweet Potato Fries from Kirsten’s Home Cooking
Looks absolutely scrumptious! I’ve wanted to make this dish before, now I have no excuse! Thanks!
10:55 am Nov 4th, 2008These look, um… awesome. I love the photos and the recipe. Parchment paper is a big tip with these things. I’ve made them before without and they have a pretty high sticking factor!
Great photos as always!
11:03 am Nov 4th, 2008Saw the entry through Twitter. Awesome post! I’m definitely going to make these soon
11:04 am Nov 4th, 2008Kim: Thanks, I hope you do make them!
11:16 am Nov 4th, 2008Nick: Good point! I edited the post to include a tip about greasing the pan if you don’t use parchment. Of course I think every should always have parchment paper on hand, I use it almost every day for one thing or another
Hooshna: Thanks for coming over from twitter! Hope you enjoy the fries!
This looks good! I like to dice (not too small) sweet potatoes and white or red potatoes and toss them in olive oil w/ seasoned salt, rosemary and garlic and roast…What a yummy combination!
11:50 am Nov 4th, 2008What are the chances that it’d rain here on voting day?! Well, gladly I voted early.
These fries look AMAZING, and I love that they’re roasted.
I’ve been meaning to head out to Urban Solace as well. Just need to wake up early enough on the weekends for breakfast…
12:03 pm Nov 4th, 2008Must you always make stuff that looks so good and makes me hungry? Not cool.
12:16 pm Nov 4th, 2008Well, I voted (like most of us university-types, I voted for Obama/Biden), so now I can, with good conscience, read your blog about sweet potato fries.
And I must say, that my wife (a medical doctor) and I both LOVE sweet potato fries.
My wife … because they’re healthy; me … because they taste so good!
And your wonderful photo-essay is probably one of the best posts on the subject that I have ever read!
DocChuck and Dr. E.
12:57 pm Nov 4th, 2008Nom nom nom!
I am all about some sweet potato fries! I usually toss them in roasted garlic olive oil - I’ll have to try this version.
I voted this morning.
(I’m visiting here from NaBloPoMo, by the way.)
1:04 pm Nov 4th, 2008Those look like something I wouldn’t be able to stop eating! Yum!
1:04 pm Nov 4th, 2008I love roasted sweet potato fries, but mine always stick to the pan. Next time I make them, I’ll use parchment paper. Thanks!
1:12 pm Nov 4th, 2008I love sweet potato fries! And these look so freakin good! Yum…something I know everyone in our little family would like…even Baby Ian. He loves sweet potatoes!
1:25 pm Nov 4th, 2008Ooo… these luck yummy. Hopefully my CSA will give us sweet potatoes soon.
1:52 pm Nov 4th, 2008Err… *look* yummy.
1:52 pm Nov 4th, 2008Alyce: Sounds great! Sometimes we cut up some regular potatoes, too. I like the combination of flavors!
1:54 pm Nov 4th, 2008Sharon: Luckily the rain didn’t last long (although we do need more)! You don’t have to get up too early for Urban Solace, I think they serve brunch til 3:00! I had a really good time there a few weeks ago!
Emon: Just doing my job!
DocChuck: Thanks for stopping by!
Keetha: Yum! Roasted garlic olive oil would be really good! You could always just use that with some salt and rosemary and skip the whole clove of garlic!
patsyk: Yep, they’re addicting! It’s best not too make too many at once!
mary: Yes, the parchment paper definitely works wonders! And it seems to keep them from burning on the bottom, also.
Steph: You should make them!
Darb: I’d love to join a CSA one of these days! But with my husband gone a lot, I’m worried that I won’t be able to use up all the produce!
Like Ian, they are Abby’s fav and before that Emma’s favorite food! I told Stephanie he would love them. Anyhow, this recipe reminds me of our lunches at Max’s in Fresno, except they fry theirs. Looks so easy and good, I’m definitely going to try this one!
3:42 pm Nov 4th, 2008omg these look so freakin good!!
3:55 pm Nov 4th, 2008A perfect way to celebrate a day of democracy!
4:33 pm Nov 4th, 2008I’ve been experimenting with several recipes for baked sweet potato fries, but this one sounds like the best by far. It may be time for me to break down and buy a mortar and pestle. Can’t wait to try this.
4:33 pm Nov 4th, 2008tonight while i anxiously await election results and keep my fingers and toes crossed for Obama, i’ll be snacking away on these and the broccoli you posted. I’ll be dipping for democracy!!
4:45 pm Nov 4th, 2008Your photos are knocking my eyes out! Maybe it’s the sweet potatoes — or maybe it’s the photographer! Lovely, Nicole!
5:47 pm Nov 4th, 2008oh yum! I just roasted up some sweet potato pieces for dinner tonight too! But, wow! It never dawned on me that rosemary and garlic would taste amazing on sweet potatoes too. Great recipe Nicole!
5:55 pm Nov 4th, 2008Nichole: You should look for a CSA that lets you purchase week by week. The one we are with has a low membership fee ($50) and you pay them $30 each week that you want a box, so you don’t have to worry about a week that you can’t use the veggies. They also have single and two person boxes.
7:00 pm Nov 4th, 2008Sorry, drop the “h”, my mistake.
7:00 pm Nov 4th, 2008i want to dip my FACE in a bowl of the buttermilk dressing! look beautiful.
7:57 pm Nov 4th, 2008OMG these look good. Do you still get to have these if you voted absentee like I did? ha-ha! I love sweet potatoes.
8:43 pm Nov 4th, 2008Hey there!
Those Sweet Potato Wedges look delicious!!! Especially love the Dip!
Donal
5:54 am Nov 5th, 2008Yummy! Will have to check out Urban Solace- thanks for the tip!
8:57 am Nov 5th, 2008Wow! That’s all I can say. Wow!!
9:58 am Nov 5th, 2008Those fries looks beyond delicious! Sweet potatoes are my fav!
10:11 am Nov 5th, 2008I made sweet potato fries for the very first time last week, and was so very disappointed. They were nothing like I thought they were be, and I ended up throwing them away. So sad.
10:26 am Nov 5th, 2008Aaaaa! Superb! So, you are using persillade (French for the mixture of parsley and garlic). Looks and I am sure tastes gotgeous!
The only thing I still need make peace with is the sweet potato.
See, I am from Europe, living in Chicago, with Thanksgiving coming up QUICK!
Cheers!
10:29 am Nov 5th, 2008Gabi @ Mamaliga.com
Those look beyond delicious. Wow!
11:07 am Nov 5th, 2008[...] a photographic play-by-play, visit Pinch My Salt Posted by hainesmorgan Filed in carbohydrate friday Tags: recipe, sweet [...]
11:07 am Nov 5th, 2008My husband is a wonderful man, but he cannot vote, as he was convicted of felony voter fraud some yeras ago in a set-up by the Arkansas District Attorney. Even though I am a busy nurse (not a real doctor) I always make time to vote. Although I love Sarah Palin, I voted for Obama as I think he would do the most for people like my husband (who is on a fixed disability income).
Incredible fries, by the way!
11:17 am Nov 5th, 2008Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite things! And served with the dressing - delicious!
3:13 pm Nov 5th, 2008[...] Vote! Then Eat Some Rosemary Garlic Sweet Potato Fries — Pinch My Salt (tags: sweetpotato recipes vegetables appetizer) [...]
11:03 pm Nov 5th, 2008Another delicious-looking recipe! Keep it up!
10:17 pm Nov 7th, 2008These sweet potato fries are a thing of beauty.
6:28 pm Nov 25th, 2008Oh.my.gods! I just made these for thanksgiving. Only, in addition to the sweet potatoes, I used Fingerling potatoes. And I knew how the Fingerlings would turn out since i’ve made them into baked fries before, but the sweet potatoes… utter genius! I will be adding them to a menu rotation in my house, cause those are absolutely wonderful and decadent and will be perfect for the occasional guilty treat.
Thank you!
6:04 pm Nov 28th, 2008[...] (kinda healthy) rosemary sweet potato fries [...]
2:35 pm Dec 5th, 2008I am a huge fan of sweet potato fries, and these look scrumptious.
I always dip mine in a homemade chipotle cilantro mayonnaise, though. You ought to experiment with that!
4:25 pm Dec 11th, 2008