Sweet Potato Fries

What’s not to like about sweet potato fries? Low in fat, full of flavor, easy to season and dip ….. and ugh mushy! I don’t know about you but I like my fries crispy. So, I’ve been playing around with some different methods and figured out a method and recipe that I like. Give it a try and substitute any seasoning you like. Sweet Potatoes flavor holds up very well with fresh or dried herbs, chile powders, paprika, Cajun seasoning, Chinese five spice and more.

For the Fries
2 medium sweet potatoes –quartered lengthwise and sliced into ½ inch wedges (for even cooking the sizes must be consistent)
1 egg white
 ½ cup panko bread crumbs
1½ tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp commercial jerk seasoning (or any favorite seasoning blend)
1 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)

For the dipping sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
1/3 cup lite sour cream
1/3 cup non fat greek yogurt (or non fat regular yogurt)
¾ tsp to 1 tsp hot horseradish (to personal preference)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, convection works best. Soak sweet potatoes in cold water for one half hour to remove starch. Drain and dry thoroughly. Line a large cookie sheet or shallow baking dish with parchment. Whip the egg white with a fork until frothy. Put whipped egg white on one large dinner plate and stir in seasoning. Place half of the panko bread crumbs on another. Roll the sweet potato wedges in the egg white and then the panko bread crumbs. Place the potatoes on the cookie sheet and put in the hot oven. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes then turn potatoes over and cook for another 15 minutes or until golden brown but not black. Turn oven down to 200 degrees and leave potatoes in to allow more moisture to evaporate for 20 minutes. Potatoes should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Meanwhile mix all the sauce ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator. This can be done up to several hours before sweet potatoes are cooked.

Serve immediately.