Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I remember making my wife sweet potato fries for the first time a couple of years ago.  It's such a simple and easy alternative to potatoes and fries and yet the occasion was like discovering plutonium. The juicy and tender sweetness inside a crispy and almost charred skin. It's was the perfect marriage of good-for-you food and bad-for-you taste. Only, in this case, there's nothing really bad about it.

I've made this simple snack and side dish so many times since but it never loses that same desired reaction. I try to mix it up and try new spice combinations that fluctuate between sweet and savoury and spicy and smokey. You really can't go wrong with your preferred combination of spices.

Over the years we've agreed on a few things. One is that the inherit sweetness of the potatoes allows me to create a smokey and spicy dusting for the fries that doesn't detract from the overall flavour. I love the outcome and it's fantastic with either a simple aoili or even a yogurt dip studded with cilantro and lime juice.

I love using smoked paprika with these fries and it can be found in varying intensities from sweet to spicy. I prefer one that is both sweet and smokey in aroma and mix it up with a pinch of cayenne for my heat intensity. So here it is, my simple Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Smoked Paprika and Cayenne.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

The Goods:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper

Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potato fries, olive oil, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Toss until well combined.
2. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook, turning once halfway trough, until cooked through and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
3. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and season immediately, to taste. This allows the salt and pepper to stick to the fries. Serve.

Smokey& Spicy Sweet Potato Fries