Roasted sweet potato fries, spiced up with cardamom and cinnamon. Serve them with a 2-ingredient maple-mustard dip. These are perfect for a party appetizer like game day parties, or for weeknight dinners.
Updated December 17, 2022
Unless you have a staff to insulate you from the world; someone to push a cart around the market, and someone to open doors for you so you don't have to touch anything while you recline on your divan, sipping Oolong tea, and read a book on your Kindle; getting a cold or the flu this time of year is almost guaranteed. But I'm guessing my staff (and divan) is like yours: nonexistent.
It's Day Eight of a cold I haven't been able to shake. But admittedly things could be worse: I was able to stay home and do nothing but nap for a few days last week, a luxury I haven't always had. It wasn't that many years ago, I'd be dragging my body into work, feeling like roadkill, and not looking much better.
One thing I've been reminded of with this cold is what foods make me feel good, and which strip energy away from me. Hot soups loaded with beans, kale, onions, and tomatoes circulated warm energy through my body, making me feel like I was going to live, and more importantly, wanted to. Anything with sugar brought back the sore throat, coughing, and congestion with a vengeance. It's not like I baked a cake and sat down to eat the whole thing. But one evening I thought I was getting better and had a glass of wine with dinner. Big mistake. Ditto for the tiny, minuscule dessert I shared with my husband. I woke the next day just wanting to die. All my symptoms were back with a bonus of laryngitis, and really, that dessert wasn't even that great. Seriously, If I'm going to get sick from something, it should be fantastic.
With this in mind, I began to research foods that are good for us in cold and flu season, with a focus on foods that wouldn't need much prepping (the staff issue, you know). Turns out anything rich in beta-carotene like carrots and sweet potatoes (and other orange fruits and vegetables) skip to the head of the class. When we eat these foods, our bodies convert this antioxidant into Vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining a strong immune system. Even better, Vitamin A specifically targets areas of our bodies that go haywire when we catch a cold by keeping our mucous membranes that line our nose and throat—one of the body's first lines of defense—healthy and functioning properly.
I pushed carrots to later in the week once I read that sweet potatoes are so nutrient dense, that The Center for Science in the Public Interest listed them as the #1 most nutritious vegetable.
And as a bonus, they are categorized as a low glucose carbohydrate (for a refresher on glucose and carbohydrates, see my last post for Leek Confit). In fact these guys are getting so popular, they even have a Facebook Page, (who knew?), with over 25,000 friends, and loads of ideas of ways for them to be used in healthy dishes.
Onto this great recipe. First, I want to mention that I adapted it from one I saw in this month's Healing Foods Cookbook put out by the folks at Vegetarian Times. They're spiced (but not spicy hot) sweet potato 'fries' with the skin left on for extra fiber, so you don't need to do much more than wash and cut them into thick matchsticks.
Toss in a very small amount of olive oil, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and potato flour and bake for 30 minutes. That's it - that's really the whole recipe, except for the dip which is two ingredients that get stirred together. Don't have any potato flour? Skip it altogether or add wheat flour instead for a nice little crust to the fries, but the potato flour is gluten-free.
Serve these fries with the maple mustard dip I threw together, or enjoy them a cappella. Either way is delicious.
If you're still thinking about appetizers for a Superbowl party (go 'Niners!), this could be a great addition to the table!
A Few Cooking Notes:
Serve warm for the best flavor.
These 'fries' can be made earlier in the day and rewarmed just before the party begins, but they're best fresh from the oven.
Spicy Sweet Potato 'Fries'
Equipment
- small bowl
Ingredients
Spiced Sweet Potato 'Fries'
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon potato flour
Maple Mustard Dip
- 2 tablespoons Dijon country mustard
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup Grade B
Instructions
Spiced Sweet Potato 'Fries'
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep. Scrub the skin of the sweet potato, and slice into matchsticks roughly ½ inch wide, leaving the skin of the potato intact. You should have around four to five cups of sweet potato matchsticks. Place them in a bowl with the olive oil and toss to lightly coat.
- Combine spices. Combine the remaining ingredients for the Spiced Sweet Potato 'Fries' in a small bowl and sprinkle over the sweet potato. Toss to coat.
- Bake. Spread the sweet potato pieces in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes; flip the 'fries' and bake for another 15 minutes.
Maple Mustard Dip
- Mix. Combine the two ingredients and serve with the Spiced Sweet Potato 'Fries'.
Shelby | Diabetic Foodie
I love sweet potatoes, especially when they are "fried." Great dip idea!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Shelby! The dip is so easy, and really does add a little something extra to the density of the sweet potatoes.
gluttonforlife
Making these tonight! Have never tried the added flour but love the idea of a crispy crust. Thanks, Susan, and get well soon.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Hope you like them, Laura! We ate a ton of them yesterday and they were so good.
The Squishy Monster
oh wow, this looks incredible! I doubt I'd miss conventional fries too much with these!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I didn't miss them at all 🙂
sunithi
Love the flavors of cardamom & cinnamon on the fries. Must try this combo. Looks lovely. Kids love sweet potato fries. making it this way next time I make it !
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You guys would love this. They're totally kid friendly as they're not spicy hot. I hope you give them a whirl!
Julia
I LOVE sweet potato fries! That dipping sauce looks especially delicious. Can't wait to try it out!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
These are so simple to make. I love sweet potato fries too. And the dipping sauce couldn't be easier. I'm sure I could make it fancier, but I didn't find it necessary 🙂
lizthechef
These look fantastic - trying this weekend...
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I actually had you in mind when I posted these, Liz! I was thinking Larry wasn't too keen on spicy hot things, and so many potato fries are spicy. Hope you guys like them :-). And welcome home! Missed you!
Rochelle
I love sweet potato fries. The dip sounds great! Thanks for the idea!
Amanda
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Erin
Thanks for the recipe, I loved it!
The dip especially is fantastic. I'm wondering what else I could use it with! I used what was in the fridge: 2 tbsp of regular Dijon mustard and 1 tsp of Grade A maple syrup.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm sooooo glad you liked it so much! Good question on other uses for the dip. I could see using it as a dip for pretzels too. And maybe a spread for a grilled cheese sandwich (especially if you're a meat-eater like my husband who would want ham on it. Love to hear what else you try too!
Ella
what can I sub for the potato flour?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The potato flour is only to make them a little crispy. You can easily omit if you don't have any on hand. The flavor won't be at all affected.