Caramelized Sweet Potato Fries
Original Kaboose.com recipe and photography by Rosemary Black
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Whether served as a side or with a poultry dish, these delicious sweet potato wedges are coated with brown sugar and spices before being roasted to a rich golden brown.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut each one crosswise in half. Using a sharp knife, cut each half into 1/2-inch wedges. Place the sweet potato wedges in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter over low heat. Stir in 1/4-cup of water, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Stirring constantly, let the mixture cook for a minute, or until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the brown sugar mixture over the sweet potato wedges and toss so that all the wedges are well-coated. Arrange the sweet potato wedges in a single layer in the prepared pan.
- Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until soft.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 450 degrees F. Bake the potatoes, uncovered, for another 5 minutes, basting occasionally with the syrup. The fries are done when soft and golden, and look caramelized around the edges. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn.
Make-Ahead
You can make the fries up to an hour ahead and keep them warm on a low temperature (275 degrees F) for 45 minutes or so.
Tips & Tricks
Confused between yams and sweet potatoes? For this recipe, use the dark-skinned, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes that sometimes are labeled yams. They are higher in sugar than the yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, which makes them better for caramelizing. (The yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes have a higher starch content and are better for baking.) By the way, technically speaking, true yams, a tuber native to Asia and Africa, are unrelated to sweet potatoes.
Leftover sweet potato fries can be reheated in a 350 degree F oven. Avoid reheating them in the microwave, which can result in limp fries.
Feel free to spice these up or down according to your taste. Among the other sweet spices that work well are cloves, ginger, and allspice. Just use a pinch of each as a little goes a long way.
15 Minutes
Ready In:
1 hour
Baking Time: 40 to 45 minutes
How kids can help
Kids can help make this dish by measuring the ingredients and by tossing the sweet potato wedges with the sugar and butter mixture.
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