Have you tried making homemade sweet potato fries but they end up turning out soggy? I promise I’m going to show you how to make sweet potato fries that aren’t soggy! Sweet potatoes are so delicious as fries or roasted, you can slice them thin to make chips. Pureed in soup or mashed, I’ve actually never had sweet potato pie but I know that is a popular dish. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of sweet potatoes for a minute.
Health benefits of sweet potatoes:
According to Healthline sweet potatoes have many health benefits, I’ll summarize 6 of the benefits:
1. They are Highly Nutritious, they are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
2. They promote Gut Health, the soluble and insoluble fiber help your digestive tract move things along and also stay in your gut as good bacteria.
3. Sweet Potatoes may have Cancer-Fighting Properties, studies in mice have shown lower rates of colon cancer. These studies have not been tested on humans yet.
4. Another benefit is, sweet potatoes Support Healthy Vision. They are incredibly rich in Beta-Carotene. Beta-Carotene is converted into Vitamin A and used to form light-detecting receptors in the eye.
5. May Enhance Brain Function, studies in mice have shown improved learning due to the Antioxidants. No studies on humans have been tested but a diet rich in Antioxidants has shown a reduced risk in mental decline and dementia.
6. May Support Your Immune System, sweet potatoes are high in Beta-Carotene which is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for a healthy immune system. Vitamin A is also essential for the health of the lining in your gut. A healthy gut is essential to have a healthy immune system. Find more details at Healthline.com.
What are Sweet Potatoes:
Sweet Potatoes are a starchy root vegetable that can be grown worldwide. There are hundreds of varieties but they are broken down into 5 main groups. Orange, red, yellow, purple with purple flesh, purple with white flesh. The most common here in the US is the red but we occasionally see a couple of other varieties depending on where you live.
All I know is that we love sweet potatoes, they are becoming more and more popular as fries in restaurants, I’ve seen frozen bags but they don’t compare to making your own. Sweet potatoes are one of the first vegetables given to babies when they are old enough to have solid (pureed) foods. I made all my own baby food and sweet potato was the first vegetable that I fed to my daughter and she loved it.
So, How do I make Sweet Potato Fries that aren’t soggy?
Start by heating your oven to 450 degrees. Peel your sweet potato and then cut into uniform size, they bake better when they are similar in size and shape.
Here’s the secret:
The secret to keeping them from getting soggy is to make sure they are absolutely dry when you bake them. After you have peeled, washed and cut them up you have to dry them completely. Use a paper towel and let them sit until they are completely dry.
Drizzle with olive oil in a bowl, just enough to coat them and sprinkle with sea salt (if you want salt).
Evenly space them on a cookie sheet so they don’t touch, bake 15 minutes, take them out, turn each one over and bake 10 minutes more. That is how you make sweet potato fries that aren’t soggy, follow the instructions exactly and they will turn out.
There are other ways to make sweet potato fries, I’ve never fried them, baking is much healthier. I love them roasted, same instructions just cut into cubes, add a few of your favorite spices and roast them until they are soft.
If you liked this, you might like some of our other recent posts:
