Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my sweet potato fries get crispy? ›

The secret to crispy (instead of soggy) sweet potato fries is to spread them out in an even layer with enough room so that they don't touch. This is especially important if you're making a big batch of fries. Instead of just piling more onto one baking pan, spread them out over two baking pans or cook them in batches.

Sweet potato fries are slightly higher in calories and carbs but also more nutrient dense than French fries. The greatest nutrient difference is that French fries have no vitamin A, while sweet potato fries are high in this nutrient. Vitamin A is important for your vision and immune system ( 2 ).

The Double-Fry Method

When it comes to the actual cooking, you want to fry the french fries twice. The first round is at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the potato and the second time you'll use a higher temperature to make the fries golden brown and crispy.

Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice lengthwise from one side of the potato to create a sturdy base to set on you cutting surface. Once stable, cut the sweet potato into even planks vertically. Stack the planks, then cut again vertically into even sized sticks. You can make them shorter by cutting the sticks in half.

Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

Simmering the fries in water washes away the excess sugars that can cause the fries to brown too much before they have a chance to properly crisp up when frying. The water also activates the starches in the potato. Starch, when fried, is what creates that crispy surface we want!

Hannahs are dense, firm, and creamy, and much less prone to becoming waterlogged than orange sweet potatoes. Their firmness and dense texture makes Hannah sweet potatoes ideal for roasting in chunks, turning into fries, or mashing as a side dish.

So if you want a sweet, sweet potato, you have to cook it until it reaches 135–170°F (57–77°C). And you want to keep sweet potatoes in that range for as long as possible. That will maximize how sweet the potatoes taste.

This step is commonly missed in making homemade fries, but it might be one of the most important! Soaking your fries in cold water helps remove excess starch, which allows for crispy, golden fries! The cold water bath also helps the french fries retain their shape and contributes to a fluffy inside.

What happens if you don't soak fries before frying? ›

First let's talk about why cut potatoes need to be immersed in water to begin with. The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration.

Cornstarch really helps to get the outsides crisp!

I've played around with various amounts of cornstarch and olive oil and found the perfect ratio. I've experimented with arrowroot starch as well, and it produced fries that were somewhat less crisp, but it's worth using if that's what you have.

Sweet potato fries are a great alternative to regular potato fries because they are packed with vitamins and minerals. Use garnet yams for this dish for their vibrant orange color. They are sliced thickly, like steak-cut fries, and are coated with a lively herb and spice olive oil mixture.

So, to make cutting easy, you want to go ahead and soften them first using one of the methods below. Parboiling – Cut off both ends of the sweet potato, and place it in a large pot of water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce the heat slightly, and let the potato simmer for about eight minutes.

My guess is you aren't blanching the sweet potato fries before you are frying them. In order to get crispy fries, of any type, you need to cook them twice. You begin by either boiling them in water, or frying them at 325, until they are just cooked through, but not so much that they lose their shape.

Old, oxidated, and irregularly filtered frying oil can really affect the quality and taste of your fries. A well-used fryer oil should be filtered at least once a day, making sure any free-floating bits and slivers are removed completely.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

To help the flavor pop, sprinkle the fries with a pinch of additional kosher salt immediately after removing them from the air fryer. Banish Soggy Sweet Potato Fries. If your air fryer fries are soggy, it is likely because you over-crowded them in the basket.

This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.