Fries are often a guilty pleasure for most, including myself. Unfortunately the typical method of preparation – frying them in oil – takes a perfectly healthy plant (potatoes) and de-healthifies them.
Our goal is to avoid processed foods and consume as many whole foods as possible. Oil falls into that processed category as it takes extensive processing to create oil from olives, rapeseed, avocado, coconut, peanut, etc.
After much experimentation it was obvious that these sweet potato fries are easily just as delicious and crispy – and WAY healthier – if you forgo the oil. The trick is tossing the fries in a little cornstarch before baking them. The cornstarch coats the fries and gives the heat something to hold onto, which create those perfect crispy fries. But don’t take our word for it – experiment and decide for yourself!
As most know, a good indicator of a nutrient-dense powerhouse is color. Just by comparing the color of a white potato and a sweet potato, it’s apparent by those standards that sweet potatoes are nutritionally where it’s at.
In comparison to regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have less calories and more fiber, so if you ate a sweet potato instead of a white potato that was the same size you would be consuming less calories and probably get filled up faster and stay full for longer. Sweet potatoes are also loaded with Vitamin A & have a good amount of Vitamin C.
Oil-Free Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 lb Sweet potato(es)
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Wash sweet potatoes, leaving the skin on. Cut into ~1/4 inch fries.
- Place cut fries in a ziplock bag or large bowl. Add cornstarch and water. Toss to coat.
- Add paprika and salt (or seasonings of your choice) and toss again.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper spread fries out in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd them.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- If you can stand the wait, after turning off the oven crack the oven door and let the fries sit for 20 to 30 minutes inside. This gives them a more crispy texture.
