Author Notes: When I make these I always double the batch, because they are gobbled up faster than you can say “Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries.” The heat and spice of cumin, chile powder and paprika complement the natural sweetness of the potatoes. I don’t peel the sweet potatoes, because the skin adds extra texture and nutrients. The Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream is cooling and fresh, balancing out the kick of the spice and the earthiness of the potatoes. —TasteFood
Food52 Review: The briliance of the sweet potato fry is that with all the sugar in the potatoes, you can really lay on the seasonings. Here, TasteFood has you use chili powder, cumin and cayenne. You might want to double the recipe so you’ll feel better about sharing. You’ll want to eat the first batch plain and the second tempered with the tangy sour cream sauce. And as we discovered, the hard way, cayenne’s heat varies a lot — start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more if you like. – A&M —The Editors
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
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2
large sweet potatoes, cut in large matchsticks/batons approx. 1/4″ x 2″
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2
tablespoons olive oil
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2
teaspoons salt
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1
teaspoon ground cumin
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1
teaspoon chile powder
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1
teaspoon paprika
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1
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/2
teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
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Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream (recipe below)
Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream
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1
cup sour cream
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1
tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
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2
teaspoons sweet chili sauce
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1
small garlic clove, minced
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1/2
teaspoon salt
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1/2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1
heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro
Directions
Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Toss sweet potatoes and olive oil in a large bowl.
- Combine salt, cumin, chile powder, paprika, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Add spices to potatoes and toss to coat.
- Arrange potatoes in one layer on baking sheet.
- Bake in oven on lowest rack until undersides are browned, 12-15 minutes. Turn potatoes with a spatula and bake 10 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve with Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream.
Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream
- Combine all the ingredients except the cilantro in a medium bowl and whisk together. Stir in cilantro.
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Photo by James Ransom
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TasteFood doesn't peel the sweet potatoes for this dish, so neither did we. But we did scrub them.
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The spices are bold — salt, cumin, chile powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper.
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It's easiest to toss by hand.
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Be sure to arrange these in a single layer, and remember to flip them in the oven. When we tested these, they took a few minutes longer than specified, as we wanted them to get nice and crisp…
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We got 1 tablespoon of lime juice from half a lime.
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We found sweet chili sauce in the Thai section of the grocery store.
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We made the sauce just as the fries went into the oven, so it had a few minutes to sit before we ate it. The flavors melded nicely.
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