Sweet Potato Fries

Ok, let’s talk about technique here for a minute.  Because there are a few things you need to know to make your sweet potato fries actually crispy.  (And thus avoid the saddest thing in the world — soggy fries.  Always a tragedy.)

The good news here?  Crispy fries are easy to make.  The honest news?  They are going to take a little extra time to make, versus just chopping and tossing some potatoes in the oven.  But trust me, these few extra steps are totally worth it.  Here are the essentials:

1. Cut evenly-sized fries: Your first step here is one that will make the biggest difference — take the time to evenly cut your fries.  About 1/4-inch thick, to be exact.  This will help avoid having fries that are over- or under-cooked, and will help them be the proper size to get nice and crispy.

2. Give them a cold water bath: Once your fries are chopped, toss them into a large bowl.  Then cover the fries completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight).  This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.  Once the potatoes have soaked, rinse and drain them.  Then — also very important — use a towel to pat them down until they are nice and dry before moving onto the next step.

3. Coat with cornstarch: The next key to crispy fries?  Cornstarch.  Yep, it’s the secret ingredient that helps achieve that perfectly crispy exterior on a variety of baked recipes, and it’s essential with baked fries.  Whisk together the cornstarch and dry seasonings (garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper) and toss them with the fries, after they have been coated in oil.  But be sure to…

4. Wait on the salt: We’ll add it on at the very end, which will also help reduce the soggy factor and allow you to salt to taste.  Win-win.

5: Use parchment paper: This will help prevent the fries from sticking and help them crisp up nicely.  Just be sure, though, that you use a brand of parchment paper that can withstand 425°F cooking temperatures.  If not, you can also just bake these on a greased cooking sheet.

6. Don’t crowd the pan: Once you add your fries to the baking sheet — very important — be sure that they are laying in an even, single layer.  If they are overlapping on top of each other, the fries on the bottom won’t have the chance to get as crispy.  So go for an even layer and try not to completely crowd the pan.  (If the fries are overlapping, use a larger pan or two smaller pans.)

7. Bake at high heat: This will help the fries to get nice and crispy.

8. Take the time to flip all of the fries:  Once the fries have baked halfway through, you need to give them a good flip.  Which — I will be the first to admit — isn’t the most graceful or speedy of processes.  But it’s worth it.  So grab a spatula, and even if it takes an extra few minutes, be sure that each of those fries has made a 180° flip.

9. Wait just 5 more minutes: Once the fries are nice and crispy and ready to go, remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack.  Season the fries with lots of salt.  Then resist the urge to take a bite and let the fries rest on the baking sheet for 5 more minutes.  It will help them crisp up a bit more and be ready to serve.

10: Then dig in!  Then once your french fries are ready to go…enjoy immediately!  Fries are definitely best fresh outta the oven, and they will start to get soggy (as any fries will) once they sit out for too long.  So go for it!