Weekly Recipe: Sweet Potato Oven Fries

I learned this recipe from my boyfriend's mom, Brinker. She did this not only with sweet potatoes, but regular potatoes and chicken, too. And, it was all delicious.

I love making oven fries with new red potatoes because they are so easy. Cut, season, oil, bake on parchment, remove, throw parchment away, done. I tried it once with sweet potatoes and they got brown and caramelized, but had a much softer texture and didn't crisp like regular potatoes. I see recipes similar to what I attempted show up on FoodTV.com every once in a while, but am reluctant to try them. So, I just use Brinker's method of making the sweet potatoes crisp on the outside while not nutritionally sacrificing them (i.e., frying). They key? Whole-wheat, dry breading.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

















Ingredients

1 sweet potato
1 cup (or more) dry, whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1 oz) parmiggiano reggiano cheese
1 egg

OK, so it is very difficult to find one of the ingredients on this list. That is -- whole wheat bread crumbs. I'm not really sure the whole-wheat exist, but I won't use regular Panko (i.e. Japanese bread crumbs made with white flour) because it diminishes the nutritional value of the sweet potato. Here I'll show you how to make quick bread crumbs.

1. Cut pieces of whole-wheat bread (the crumbs will taste like your bread -- pick a milder tasting brand) into 1-inch or so cubes.
2. Place in a coffee grinder (you can probably use a blender, too), and pulse until bread crumbs are formed.

NOTE: I turn the bread into crumbs when it is soft because it makes a bigger crumb. You could wait for the bread to dry out and then grind it up. The dry bread will offer more resistance to the blade, however, and the result will be a smaller crumb and less crunch in the fries. Letting the bread dry after it has been turned into crumbs results in a larger crumb.

3. Dry on a cookie sheet over night or in a 200 degree F oven until crisp.
4. They are ready to use in the recipe!

Okay, now on to the main recipe.

Procedure

1. Wash sweet potato -- do not skin. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut very end of the long ends off so that each half has three flat faces.
2. Slice each half (keeping then large flat side-down) into slices roughly 1 cm thick. You want the potato to cook before the breading burns. Cutting it too thin, however, and you will only taste the breading.
3. Combine egg and 2 tablespoons water. Whisk together to create egg wash.
4. Combine bread crumbs and cheese. You can add herbs such as oregano, thyme, or rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Remember, though -- you still want to be able to taste the sweetness of the potatoes. The idea with the cheese is that it will melt and the oils will help brown the breading on the fries.
5. Dip each slice in the egg. Allow excess to drip off, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Try not to allow too much egg to get into the bread crumbs. When they are wet, they will not stick to the fries.
6. Place in one layer on a cookie-sheet lined with oiled parchment and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, watching to make sure the bread crumbs do not burn. They will be very dark around edges and black spots are ok.
7. Let cool for at least 1 minute before removing from pan.