Not quite what you’d expect
Apologies - my food blogging is rather erratic at the moment and will probably continue to do so till about mid November, when I will complete my studies. Being a liberal arts student (majoring in media studies and literature), my mind is currently overwhelmed with matters outside the kitchen, concentrated on the medium through which I am conveying this information and you are receiving it - the internet.
(If, for some god-forsaken reason, you’re interested in the thoughts currently occupying my mind, you can find out what they are here)
The consequence of an otherwise preoccupied mind is that I just don’t have the mental energy to try and write something witty and engaging, so I’m rather sorry that this fairly bland post is all I have to offer you.
Despite what you may think, these lurid orange strips are sweet potato fries, not carrot sticks. I’d been browsing Bill Granger’s “Every Day” when I came across a picture of a big, messy specimen of a burger that had me utterly transfixed. However, it was only once I came out of my stupor that I saw the fat, charred orange fries laying next to it, and upon flipping the page, I saw that they were baked sweet potato fries.
Hallo, did my arteries just GRIN?
Sweet potato = low GI, baked = low fat
I think we have a winner!
I set about the prepwork as my father, the sweet potato fiend of the family, kept a watchful eye over my actions, waiting for the moment when he may be able to enjoy his favourite tuber.
“…Are they ready yet?”
“No pops, go away, I’ll bring ‘em out when they’re done”
10 minutes later
“Can I eat them now?”
“….N-O”
10 minutes later
“Done yet?”
“….(&$%(Y$%$)(UJ*!!!!!! I’ll bring them out in a minute…”
As he plodded out, I made sure to start banging around so that I sounded busy. I figured that it was a bit of a psychological game - if he thought he could hear me getting ready to bring the sweet potato fries out to him, he’d stop pestering me. A few minutes later, I pulled the tray out of the oven, got the tongs and went to pick them up - and almost dropped them in alarm as they fell over much like parched flowers on a scorching summer day.
Umm, they WERE meant to be fries, right?
Despite the obvious scorching around the edges, I decided to pop the batons back into the oven for another few minutes to see if that would crispen them up, but I didn’t hold much hope. Indeed, I wasn’t far off the mark - an extra 10 minutes had done nothing but to turn the fries closest to the edge of the baking pan into little matchsticks, while the rest were still as floppy as a…
Well, I’m sure you can fill in that blank yourself.
While they certainly looked good, and pops and co managed to wolf them down without any trouble, they certainly weren’t the fries I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong - they’re tasty, but to sell them as being fries in the traditional sense would just be wrong.
As for whether I’d make them again? Well, if requested then of course, but till then I’m gonna look for other sweet potato recipes that won’t try and pretend to be something they aren’t.
* - this is about the closest I can come to verbalizing the exploding of my head.
Sweet Potato “Fries”
(from Bill Granger’s “Every Day“)
Ingredients
1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into batons
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea salt
Lime wedges
1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees C.
2. Toss the sweet potato batons with the olive oil, paprika, cayenne pepper and sea salt (to taste). Spread them in a single layer onto a large baking tray and bake for 30 mins, stirring occasionally, till fries are golden brown.
3. Serve with lime wedges (or, for something more cooling, some sour cream or low fat natural yoghurt)
Technorati Tags: sweet potato, health food, recipes, bill granger, fries
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Comments
They look good though! I love sweet potato fries but even when they’re deep fried, they’re never crispy like regular potatoes are. I still love them. 
Good luck with your school!
See, the problem with this recipe is that if it had of been called something other than fries, (like floppy sweet potatoes for example…) you probably would have liked it more, it’s just that you had it in your head that these would be like french fries and clearly they weren’t.
It was a misnamed recipe… (though still delicious looking).
The fries look terrific — I’m sorry they didn’t live up to your expectations.
And, I’m so excited to find another media studies/food blogger! (I have an MA in Media Ecology from New York University.) Good luck to you in your final stretch of studies; you can do it!
Patricia - They tasted good, just weren’t what I was expecting 
Ashley - Thanks, hon I’ve never deep-fried them before, but I’m trying to keep things on the lighter side, so I’ll have to wait for now!
Brilynn - Yeah, I agree, it was just the expectation of one thing and ending up with something quite different that had me a bit disappointed! Ah well, they still tasted good
Laura Rebecca - Thanks hon, I seriously need it! And its great to find out that you’re a media studies person its interesting seeing this blogging thing from both sides of the fence hey?
I agree that they certainly look really good, Ellie. And your Dad seemed very happy with them, so…success!
I’m tempted to say that you needed to use a tray that I just discovered, that apparently helps potatoes to crisp! I don’t know if it will help much.
But this reminds me of a fast food joint in Sydney called Burgerfuel and they had sweet potato chips with avioli dip. It was the best fast food I’d ever had! Yum!
Cheers, Bel I’d be happy with the fact that pop’s inhaled ‘em except he goes nuts for anything that tastes remotely of sweet potato 
Sophia - I’ve got a tray that promises something like that too but they didn’t work so well >_< I may try ‘em again once I get a pizza stone
They look good to me! There is a restaurant in town that serves sweet potatoe fries as a side dish, they are incredible and we usually get a plate, regardless of what else we order.
Thanks Helen I think I’d like to try these again…I just need to figure out how to get ‘em crunchier!
I think they look really good, sweetie - but tks for the honest feedback!