Thursday, April 29, 2010

Oven Baked Potato and Yam Fries

Every time we drive by a McDonald's my son asks for french fries. Now there are those occasions when McDonald's works for a little treat. There have also been those times when we've been so busy running errands that we can't get home for lunch, so we've stopped at the golden arches. We hardly make a regular occasion of this, especially when I think about what's in the food. However, with that said, that doesn't mean we still don't like to enjoy french fries. If you don't deep fry them they're pretty good for you and if you add an extra veggie to the mix, like yams or sweet potatoes, you've got a great side dish that kids will even enjoy.


What You'll Need - serves 4-6
  • 2 organic yams, peeled
  • 6-8 medium sized, organic potatoes - washed but not peeled
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • A couple sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • Sea salt
  • Large bowl
  • Sharp knife
  • 2 cookie sheets - lined with parchment paper if possible

Getting Started


Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

1. Slice your yams and potatoes into slices preferably no larger then 1/4" and then place them into your large bowl. The larger you make your fries the longer they take to cook and they are harder to get crispy.



2. Finely chop the leaves of your rosemary and toss them into your large bowl with the yams and potatoes, then pour in enough olive oil to thoroughly coat the fries. Around a 1/4 cup should work, but I'd just start tossing the fries as you add the olive oil and stop when they are all coated.

3. Spread the fries out in a single layer on your cookie sheets, then sprinkle them with sea salt. The more the fries overlap the less crispy they'll be, so try to not put too many on one cookie sheet.



4. Place both cookie sheets in the 500 degree oven and bake them for 30 minutes, then switch the cookie sheets so the bottom one is on top and bake for an additional 30 - 45 minutes. Approximately every 20 min. stir the fries around so they don't stick to the cookie sheet and they crisp up more evenly. If you use parchment paper on your cookie sheets the fries won't stick at all. You'll know the fries are done when they are golden and crispy on the edges. The longer you bake them the crispier they'll get, just be careful to not burn them. I've done that before and it's very disappointing, especially when you are craving fries! :-) The potatoes will crisp up more than the yams, so use the potatoes as a guide for doneness. The yams actually stay pretty soft, but they are still delicious especially with the rosemary and salt on them.



If you happen to have left overs don't pitch them. We like to enjoy them for lunch the next day. Just warm them up under the broiler in your oven. Don't put them too close to the broiler (the middle of the oven works) or you'll be left with a fry burnt on the outside and cold on the inside.


Enjoy these fries either by themselves or with your favorite dipping sauce. Our personal favorite is a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise and sriracha hot sauce. Yum, Yum.

1 comment:

  1. I find adding some Indian spice really gives them an additional yum factor (:

    http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/02/curried-roast-chicken-leg-with-spiced.html

    ReplyDelete

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