Thing 1 .... Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Here goes my first new recipe of the 52.  I didn't actually follow a recipe.  I read 4 or 5 recipes and went with a hybridization of those.

I started with 3 sweet potatoes which I cut into 1/2" fries.  In hind sight, 3 may have been too many.  All the raw fries got to soak in cold, slightly salted water for about 20 minutes.  (Note:  In Texas, in spring, summer and the beginner of fall, there is no such thing as cold tap water.  I added a little ice to my water.)  This is supposed to make them crisper when they're done.

After the water was drained off I seasoned them with salt, black pepper, Tony's and garlic salt.  I drizzled them with a little extra virgin olive oil and tossed them (using the messy hands method, of course) to coat them well.  You could use whatever seasonings strike your fancy.  Some recipes suggested cinnamon or nutmeg but I was going for slightly spicy rather than sweet.

Next I spread them all out on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil.  (I LOVE NON-STICK FOIL!)  I have to admit that I should have split them between 2 sheets because they were pretty crowded and I'm pretty sure that slowed down their cooking and kept them from getting as crisp as they might have.  I am a bad little blogger and I didn't take a picture of my over crowded cookie sheet.  I'm sorry.  They baked away in my preheated 450 F oven for 15 minutes before I turned them over with a spatula.  Reminder, because I always forget.  When your oven is that hot, open the door and then wait a second or three before reaching in!  I let them cook another 8 minutes then I turned the oven to "broil" and gave them a minute on each side.

They could have been a little crisper but they weren't soggy at all.  I think the over crowding really was the down fall here.  The flavor was great and they paired beautifully with the fish my sister prepared.  Three of us ate them voraciously with enough left for hubby and I to have them the following night with dinner so I'd say 3 sweet potatoes made 5 good sized servings.

What I learned.

• 3 potatoes was too many
• over crowding the baking sheet wasn't a good idea
• I could have been a little more generous with the Tony's
• baked sweet potato fries are easy and yummy

How I'll do it next time:

Preheat oven to 450F

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic salt
• Tony Chachere's
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:

• Give sweet potatoes a little scrub under running water.  Leave the skin on, it's good for you.
• Cut potatoes into 1/2" sticks.
• Soak sticks in cold, lightly salted water (you may have to add ice) for 20 minutes.
• Drain well and sprinkle on salt, black pepper, garlic salt and Tony Chachere's to taste.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss with your hands.  It's ok, you can wash them.
• Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in non-stick foil.
• Bake for 20 minutes, turning after 15, then broil for a minute on each side.
• Serve warm and enjoy!

I hope you've enjoyed my fries enough to make some of your own.  Thanks for reading.