Pair the sweeter fries with avocado hummus and you’ll never pick up the fried fast food version again
French fries are one of the few things I can’t give up, but thankfully I can recreate this common albeit deep-fried side dish or snack simply by switching regular potatoes for more nutrient-dense tubers and ditching deep-frying for baking. The keys to enjoying these crispy baked sweet potato fries are to cut them thinly, drizzle—not drown—them with olive oil, evenly sprinkle cornstarch, bake it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and then overturn them halfway.
Pair it with hummus instead of mayonnaise and you have the perfect comfort snack. You can have a pound of these without feeling like you need to run five kilometers after because unlike regular fries and mayo, these complex starches won’t bloat you.
Crispy baked sweet potato fries
Ingredients:
1 kilo sweet potatoes, peeled and cut thinly
1/4 cup olive oil or virgin coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
Directions:
1. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Coat the sweet potatoes with oil then evenly sift cornstarch on them.
3. Spread out the potatoes, making sure you don’t overcrowd them. Putting fries on top of each other will make them stick together and will result in uneven cooking.
4. Sprinkle some sea salt. Pepper, cumin, or any other spice can be added after baking.
5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Any lower will result in soggy slow cooked fries and any higher will burn it. Be sure to overturn fries halfway through. If they’re still not done in 20 minutes, (depending on how thick your cut was), pop them in for another 10 minutes and flip after five minutes.
6. Serve, add a dash of pepper, cumin, or any spice of choice.
Note: The fries will stay crispy for two hours so best to consume them immediately.
The keys to enjoying these crispy baked sweet potato fries are to cut them thinly, drizzle—not drown—them with olive oil, evenly sprinkle cornstarch, bake it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and then overturn them halfway
Avocado hummus dip
Ingredients:
1 big can of garbanzos, drained. Keep some for toppings
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup tahini or sesame seeds.
6 roasted garlic cloves
3 tbsp squeezed calamansi juice
1 cup avocados
Directions:
1. Add garbanzos and olive oil in a blender then process.
2. Add tahini or sesame seeds then blend.
3. Whip in avocado and blend until creamy.
4. Place in a bowl then drizzle olive oil on top. Add smoked paprika and cumin to taste.
