White Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Why do 4-day weeks seem to tire me out more than 5-day weeks?!  Shouldn’t it be the opposite?!

Is it due to me playing catch-up and trying to do in 4 days what I normally would do in 5?  Or because our house was like a sauna after our A/C broke during Pittsburgh’s hottest week of the year?  Or possibly because I was writing like a maniac to squeeze in an extra post this week?   I just couldn’t resist sharing ALL the details, photos, and foods with you from my recent San Francisco trip! 😉 (If you missed my review, you can read Parts 1 and 2 here and here!)

Whatever the reason for my sluggish self, bring on the weekend and sleeping in, brunching, flower-planting, movie-watching, and eating a big pile of these super easy White Sweet Potato Oven Fries made with coconut oil, spices, and sea salt!
So, I promise I won’t always talk endlessly about California in EVERY post, but my recent trip influenced and inspired my foodie self in so many ways.  The wide variety of restaurants, cooking styles, and exotic groceries made me feel like a kid in a candy store!  Aside from the many amazing foods we sampled while eating out, one of the items that easily became a favorite was one we discovered while eating IN:  the white sweet potato.I have seen white sweet potatoes used in recipes on many paleo food blogs, but I could never seem to find them!  I just always ended up using the orange variety – not that I had any complaints, since I LOVE sweet potatoes of all colors!  But, there was just something so appealing about white sweet potatoes, since they appeared to look exactly like regular potatoes.  I was curious to see how they compared in taste.

Lo, and behold, I had my first white sweet potato-eating experience on our California vacation.  Mark actually was the one who bought them (and by accident!) since they were the only sweet potatoes he could find.  It was meant to be!  Since we were limited with cooking utensils in our little rental apartment kitchen, we baked up an easy sweet potato fry side dish using our newly discovered ingredient.  We DID manage to bring a few staples from home, like coconut oil and basic spices.  And that, my friends, was all we needed to create some totally delicious White Sweet Potato Oven Fries! 🙂The flavor of our California fries was less sweet than orange sweet potatoes, with a texture more like those of regular white potatoes.  They were SO good.  I was hooked immediately and knew I had to use our recipe for Fed and Fulfilled.  The question was, could I find white sweet potatoes back home?  

Well, I obviously did after a little searching!  Aldi and Trader Joe’s didn’t seem to carry them, but I had luck with a local Pittsburgh Giant Eagle Market District, and I would be shocked if Whole Foods or Fresh Market didn’t carry them, too.  You might have to do some hunting, but if you are able to find white sweet potatoes, then by all means, use them!  If not, the orange variety will work for this recipe, as will regular white potatoes.The white sweet potatoes aren’t the only thing that make this recipe so yummy.  The coconut oil really gives them a great flavor, too.  It remains to be my cooking oil of choice!

To make these addictive White Sweet Potato Oven Fries, I used 3 large white sweet potatoes with the skin on and cut them into thick wedges, about 1/2 inch thick.  (Basically, like steak fries.)  I placed them in an even layer on a coconut oil-greased baking sheet and then topped them with more coconut oil.  Don’t be alarmed if your melted coconut oil solidifies after you pour some on these fries!  I actually refrigerated my potatoes first so that the coconut oil WOULD solidify slightly when it hit the wedges, so they were well-coated.  They will bake just fine!

For the spice blend, I used what we had on hand on our vacation, which was Old Bay, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.  Feel free to use whatever spices you want, but I liked this combination.I gave the fries a good massage with my hands so that the spices and coconut oil were distributed evenly, and then I baked my thick white sweet potato wedges for 40-45 minutes, with a quick flip halfway through.  The result was golden-brown fries, loaded with flavor, that were a little crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  Oh my, I want some RIGHT now. What better way to serve fries than with ketchup?  Am I right?  Since I’m a huge fan of all things Sir Kensington, I was eager to try their ketchup!  I used it on these fries and it was the perfect pairing.  I’ve had some pretty nasty “healthy” ketchups in the past, but this version was SO good!  Sir Kensington’s Ketchup has half the sugar of regular ketchup, no high fructose corn syrup, and it’s made with all organic ingredients.  If you’re interested in trying some, but can’t find any in your local stores, you can order from their website or order through Amazon.

With a plate of White Sweet Potato Oven Fries and a squirt of Sir Kensington’s Ketchup, you have a simple, yummy side dish for your burgers and hot dogs during grilling season!  Eat up and enjoy your weekend!

5.0 from 3 reviews

White Sweet Potato Oven Fries

 

Print

Created by: Joanna Smith

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 3 large or 4 medium white sweet potatoes
• 2½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prep a baking sheet with foil and pour ½ tablespoon coconut oil over the foil to grease it. (If you use parchment, you won't need to oil it.)
2. Cut your sweet potatoes into wedges, about ½ inch thick.
3. Arrange wedges on baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle spices, salt, and pepper over the sweet potato wedges. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil over the top.
4. Mix sweet potato wedges around with your hands to evenly coat with oil and spices.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping once halfway through. (I baked mine on the middle rack for the first 20 minutes and the bottom rack for the remainder of the time.)
6. Fries should be golden brown on the outside and cooked through.
7. Allow to cool slightly, then devour- either plain or with ketchup!

Notes

~If you can't find white sweet potatoes, you can use regular sweet potatoes or white potatoes instead!
~The coconut oil will harden slightly on the chilled sweet potatoes, but that's okay! They will still bake well!

3.5.3208