Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries
If you’ve had trouble getting your sweet potato fries to crisp up, then, follow this recipe for Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries.
The width, water-cornstarch bath as well as frying the potatoes twice are the secrets to crispy, golden brown, deep-fried sweet potato fries. Soaking the raw potato strips in an ice water bath at the start also helps to keep the potatoes from sticking to each other, and adds to their crispiness.
Season the Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries with kosher salt or use a spicy seasoning, such as a Creole or Cajun blend. Or for a complementary sweet flavor, sprinkle them lightly with cinnamon sugar. Serve the sweet potato fries warm with pulled pork sandwiches or burgers or alongside a grilled ham and cheese. They are also delicious as an appetizer or snack with a dipping sauce such as garlic aioli or Sriracha mayo.
Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries – Preparation
Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set it aside to place the cut sweet potatoes in. At a minimum, rinse the sweet potatoes in cold water twice. Discard the water between each rinse.
Wash and peel 4 medium sized sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch sticks about 3 to 4 inches in length. The potatoes are easier to cut if they have been microwaved (in plastic wrap) for a couple minutes. Try one potato and slice, if it squishes reduce the time.
Put the cut sweet potatoes in the ice water and let them sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
In a large food storage bag or bowl, combine cornstarch with the cold water; stir until smooth. The mixture will be quite thin – stir together 2/3 cups of cornstarch with an equal amount of water in a bowl.
If using a bag, flip over a few times to make sure the potatoes are well coated; if in a bowl, stir to mix evenly. This sludges up quickly between dipping, so mix it up each time before dipping. Do this in small handfuls at a time and drop them right into the fryer.
Season the batter with 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoons of pepper.
Dip the fries in the batter and let them rest for 2 minutes on paper towels.
Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries – Cooking
Pour the vegetable oil into a large, heavy pan or a Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Ideally, use a deep fryer. Heat the oil to 325 F.
Fry the sweet potatoes for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir them a few times to keep them from sticking together. When done, the fries should be tender but not browned.
Using a metal slotted spoon, lift the Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries out onto paper towels or brown paper to drain.
When all of the potatoes have been fried once, raise the temperature of the oil to 350 F. Working in small batches, fry the sweet potato sticks again for about 1 minute. Cook the fries for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Note, take one out and taste to ensure the desired cook.
When the sweet potato Fries are golden brown, remove them to paper towels or brown paper to drain.
Sprinkle the sweet potato fries with kosher or seasoned salt or dust lightly with a cinnamon-sugar blend.
Sweet Potato Fries are best served as soon as they are cooked and drained.
Selecting Sweet Potatoes
When selecting sweet potatoes, look for ones that have a more uniform width and do not taper to points. This will help you cut more fries that are the same length.
Choose red sweet potatoes (labeled as yams in some markets) for the classic sweet potato fry look and taste.
When frying, stir the fries to make sure they don’t clump together or stick to the side of the pot.
Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries – Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 medium)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water (cold)
Vegetable oil for frying
Kosher salt (or flaky sea salt), seasoned salt, or cinnamon-sugar blend
More Crispy Fried Sweet Potato Fries Recipes >>
