Baked sweet potato fries are often passed off as a more sanctimonious way to eat French fries. And it’s true, once you’ve slightly adjusted your expectations, you’ll discover they’re an addicting-ly delicious gateway food into the world of healthy eating.

BUT…mushy, flimsy, wimpy, limp-y fries are a completely unacceptable substitute. And that’s usually, unfortunately, what you get when you bake your sweet potato frenchies.

UNLESS…you do em’ right.

There are a few secrets to shatteringly crispy sweet potato fries, sans the deep fryer.

THE FIRST IS…tapioca flour (or corn or potato starch) – a whisper thin coating of this magic ingredient absorbs moisture so that the fries are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

THE SECOND IS…tossing them in cooking oil after they’re fully coated in the tapioca flour and salting them after they’re done roasting.

THE THIRD IS…high heat. A low and slow bake (400 degrees or less) won’t give you the crispness you deserve. So crank the oven to 425°F for a hot, fast roast.

THE FOURTH AND FINAL IS…giving your sweeties room to breathe as they bake. I recommend using multiple baking sheets and arranging the sweet potatoes in a single layer with plenty of space between. This will keep them from steaming and becoming soggy.

And that’s how you get a whole lotta crispy-crunchy-chomp-chomp-munch-munch-y-ness to your healthy BAKED sweet potato fries.

Need a little more SWOON?

Tell your ketchup to move the F over and dunk your fries into my saucy-swaggy Chipotle “Mayo” (which isn’t mayo at all but a vegan alternative that you can use in a myriad of other ways – such as: a sauce for your wrap, a dip for your crudité or a dressing for your salad) instead.

It’s an out.of.this.world. winning combination of (crispy, creamy) textures and (sweet + spicy) flavors.

Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries w/ Chipotle “Mayo”

For the Fries:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” matchsticks
• 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour (or corn or potato starch)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Then lightly spritz each tray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl or zip lock bag, toss the sweet potatoes with the tapioca flour until well coated.
3. Add the sweet potatoes to 2 large baking sheets and toss with avocado oil.
4. Then arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer, placing them as far apart as possible – this will give them more room to crisp up, rather than steam.
5. Roast the sweet potatoes for 10 minutes. Then, using a spatula, gently flip them (only once), keeping them spread out in a single layer.
6. Continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes, or until the fries are brown and crispy. Watch them carefully as the cooking time can depend on the thickness of the fries and the heat of your oven.
7. While the potatoes roast, make the Chipotle “Mayo”.
8. When the fries are done, shut off the oven, prop the door open halfway and let them crisp a bit more before serving. Toss with sea salt, to taste.

For the Chipotle “Mayo”

• 1 cup of raw cashews (soaked overnight or up to four hours and drained)
• ½ cup of water
• 2 chipotle peppers
• 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

9. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until well combined.
10. Remove sweet potato fries from oven and serve with Chipotle “Mayo”.

WARNING…this recipe may result in a sudden, uncontrollable urge to eat the entire batch in one sitting.

If you dabble in the fries-for-dinner situation, I say go for it. Otherwise these fries are the perfect side companion to your burgers, lentil loaves, sammys and wraps.

However you eat them, I hope you enjoy. And don’t forget to let me know what you think down in the comments below!

xo