Thursday, April 28, 2011

Frugal Food Thursday: Sweet Potato Fries

sweet potato fries
Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

Last week, I had bought some sweet potatoes at my local cheap produce store.  I hadn't decided what to do with them, though.  After a few days, I figured I should use them up, so I went simple and made some sweet potato fries.  Too often, sweet potatoes are all gussied up (like in my sweet potato and pineapple casserole), but they're perfectly fine all by themselves.

I chose to fry them because I love the crispness, instead of baking them in the oven, which tends to make the outside cooked but leave the inside raw.  I fry them twice, first to cook the outside without browning.  Then while they cool and I work on another batch, the insides continue to cook.  Then they go back into the pan again, this time to become crisp on the outside.  It's not the most healtful preparation, but it's fun to eat!

SWEET POTATO FRIES

1 small sweet potato per person
Canola oil
Kosher salt to taste

Scrub the outsides of the sweet potatoes, but do not peel them.  Cut off the pointed ends of the potato.  Using a sharp, strong knife, slice the potato into 1/2 inch slices, then each slice into 1/2 inch matchsticks.  Blot the sweet potato pieces with a paper towel.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a large saucepan.  You can tell whether the oil is hot enough by sticking the end of one of the sweet potato pieces in; bubbles should appear all around.  Put in some of the sweet potato pieces to fill the pan - do not crowd the pan!  Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the bright orange color seems to fade a bit.  Remove fries with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.  Repeat until all the sweet potatoes have been fried once, replacing oil as necessary.

Return the first batch of sweet potatoes to the pan.  Fry until the outsides of the sweet potatoes start to turn brown and become crisp.  Remove and place on new paper towels to drain.  Repeat until all the sweet potatoes have been fried twice.

Sprinkle the fries with kosher salt to taste.  Eat!

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26 comments:

Christina April 28, 2011 at 11:55 AM  

I love sweet potato fries but have never made them at home. I really do need to!

Chaya April 28, 2011 at 1:31 PM  

Thanks for hosting.

I made butternut squash fries recently and they were good. I love sweet potato fries. Hmmm, I should make these, tomorrow. Thanks for the idea.

Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free April 28, 2011 at 10:27 PM  

Mmmm, I like crispy fries, too! Since mine usually seem too soft for me, I need to try frying them twice like yours.

My link is for Peanut Butter Cookies with Cashews (Gluten-free and Casein-free). Even though they taste rich, they're surprisingly nutritious, and they're also economical.

Thanks for your continuing inspiration to save my resources --
Pat

Rivki Locker April 29, 2011 at 8:29 AM  

Thanks for the roundup. I'm so pleased to have discovered your blog (through Life as Mom) today. I am always on the lookout for frugal recipes. I've shared one here, for braised radishes. Radishes are super cheap, and braising is a great technique for making them more elegant.

Run DMT April 29, 2011 at 11:36 AM  

Mmmmm...I love sweet potato fries. I've never tried making them though.

Cranberry Morning April 29, 2011 at 5:32 PM  

These look amazing! I have seen them a few times, but never remember to make them! Now I actually have some sweet potatoes on hand and I think I'll try this. Looks like a great Friday night treat. :-)

Mary @ Mary's Nest April 29, 2011 at 10:03 PM  

Oh, I'm so glad you made these. I have a bunch of sweet potatoes that I got from my CSA and have wanted to try making fries. You made it look so easy! Thank you.

Love,

Mary

Anonymous,  April 30, 2011 at 9:01 AM  

I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potato fries!! Thanks for linking up to Foodie Friday. I hope to see you again next week!!

Miz Helen April 30, 2011 at 11:20 AM  

To all your linky guest, Thanks for stopping by Full Plate Thursday! Come back and bring a recipe to link up with Full Plate Thursday!

Laura Everyday Edits April 30, 2011 at 2:42 PM  

New follower! Added my tennis cookies to your party. Would love a visit and follow back as I meet new foodie friends! laura@imnotatrophywife.com

Gloria Fox May 1, 2011 at 3:36 PM  

I love sweet potato fires. Thanks for the tip about frying them twice. I always seem to get them too dark trying to get the inside done, but this way is genius! Thanks!!

Mary May 2, 2011 at 2:02 AM  

This looks delicious! I love sweet potato fries! Thank you for sharing this on Masterpiece Monday. Have a great week, Mary :O)

Unknown May 2, 2011 at 11:25 PM  

I was a little behind on my emails so I just saw this! But I had gotten some super cheap Sweet Potatoes on Saturday (huge ones $0.15 each at Aldi) and we decided to do this last night too. It was the first time we'd ever done it. We did bake then in the oven coated in some seasonings and olive oil (I found Paula Deen's recipe..LOL). They were so good my husband made the two of us a second batch later in the evening as a snack.

Ann Kroeker May 2, 2011 at 11:50 PM  

I love sweet potato fries! I've never had luck frying stuff, but with your instructions perhaps I'll achieve success. Also, your double-fry method is very Belgian. That's their secret for some of the best frites in the world!

Sarah V. May 4, 2011 at 2:47 PM  

I LOVE sweet potato fries. I'll have to try out this recipe. Thanks for sharing!

Wanderluster May 4, 2011 at 2:50 PM  

You can buy these in the frozen section but they are spendy. Thanks for your frugal version!

Unknown May 5, 2011 at 9:08 PM  

I love sweet potato fries! Thanks for posting these to What's On the Menu Wednesda:)

HaleyLeann May 5, 2011 at 11:44 PM  

Mmmmm! Sweet potato fries are so very delicious! Thanks for linking up on Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!

Suzy May 8, 2011 at 12:36 PM  

I love sweet potato fries. And a little oil spread over all those fries is not really unhealthy. We all need a little bit of oil in our diets :-) The healthiness of the sweet potatoes definitely counteracts the extra fat.

Unknown May 9, 2011 at 4:06 PM  

ever since i served sweet potato fries to my hubs a year ago, he won't eat regular french fries! he is addicted....they are so yummy! thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club.

Alison May 16, 2011 at 7:50 AM  

Mmmm! I love sweet potato fries! It's been a while since I've had them!

http://www.underthebigoaktree.com/2011/05/sweet-and-sour-meatballs-in-slow-cooker.html

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