Sweet Potato Steak Fries

OK, so in my last What’s for Dinner post, I mentioned sweet potato steak fries, but I didn’t go into any detail. This was my first time trying sweet potatoes this way, and I used the last two sweet potatoes in the house to do so. I have been CRAVING these things ever since. So now, I feel that I have short-changed my readers by not sharing the recipe for these. I aim to correct that right now.

I got the idea from Robin Miller – she made a savory sweet potato steak fry a few shows ago. I had tried fried sweet potatoes at TGI Friday’s, and didn‘t care for them. Mostly because they were too savory. Maybe it’s just me, but I see sweet potatoes as either savory or sweet depending on how you cook them. Baked with butter, salt, and pepper, and I see them in the vegetable family – definitely more savory. But loaded up with maple syrup and marshmallows, and you have more of a dessert – definitely more sweet. Robin Miller tossed hers in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and while that certainly intrigued me, I thought it would fall on the savory side and I was in the mood for something on the sweet side.

So I took two medium sweet potatoes, peeled them, and cut them in half. I cut each half into thirds, giving me twelve total steak fries. (If you don’t already have sweet potatoes on hand, try to find some that are on the straighter side. I had never cut an uncooked sweet potato before, and it was none too easy. Had they been longer and straighter, I might have fared better.)

I poured a very small amount of vegetable oil (because it is less flavorful than olive oil) in a baking dish. I tossed the potatoes lightly in the oil, then sprinkled them with cinnamon, freshly-grated nutmeg, and cardamom (only because I had some – I think you could use any pie spice you have around). Then I tossed them again to distribute the spices, and spread them flat in the dish.

I put them in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, tossing them once while they cooked.

They came out nicely browned, crisp on the outside, but tender like a steak fry on the inside. And the spices were PERFECT.

This one’s a definite repeater.