I love sweet potatoes, especially sweet potato fries. While deep-fried sweet potato fries are guaranteed to be crispy (most of the time anyway!), I often felt so much guilt because you know how it’s like when you eat fries, you can’t just eat two or three. You gotta have the whole thing and then some!
I’ve tried several baked sweet potato fries recipes and the fries always came out soggy and far from being crispy. I just gave up entirely on baked sweet potato fries until I remember reading from Martha Stewart Living cookbook about soaking regular potatoes in warm water and the double-frying the fries part. But of course, I don’t want the deep-fried. So, I decided to give it a try and soaked the sweet potatoes in the warm water for about 1 hour and then coat the fries with some rice flour and tapioca flour. It worked. The fries weren’t soggy and the flour coating helps create that crispy layer. Then I just whipped up some dipping sauce. I always remember a waiter told me once “Ordinary food turns extraordinary when you give it a bit twist” and she’s right. I love the sauce and now I can eat sweet potato fries without too much guilt. My daughter loves this baked sweet potato fries and it’s perfect as finger food too.
BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH SPICY CORIANDER DIPPING SAUCE
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp rice flour
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp garlic salt (optional)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- SAUCE:
- ¼ cup loosely packed coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- Dash of cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicier)
Instructions
- Peel your sweet potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips. Soak your cut potatoes in a clean warm water for at least 1 hour to let the starch leech out (that's what makes your fries soggy). Drain off the water and lightly pat dry with paper towel
- Get the mixing bowl out and put the potatoes in the bowl. Add in the rice flour, tapioca flour, garlic salt and mix with your hands until the fries are coated. Add in the olive oil and mix again with your hand until they are coated with oil. Spread the fries on the baking sheets. Don't be tempted to crowd the baking sheets or your fries won't be crispy. You may need to bake in batches. Bake for about 20 minutes at 425 F or until the fries are beautifully golden and crispy
- While waiting for the fries to bake, mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside
