Healthy Sweet Potato Fries

There’s a wonderful restaurant not too far from where I live called Rumbi Island Grill.  I love their Voodoo Salad, but what I really crave when I go there is Sweet Potato Fries.  They come piping hot in a large cone.  If my husband and I go there for dinner, I hog the fries.  I like to think they are healthy since they are made from yams.

Yams…. sweet potatoes…. what’s the difference?  Actually there is no difference, they are both really just a sweet potato.  And Sweet Potato Fries sound so much nicer than Yam Fries.

The only downside to a Sweet Potato Fries is the “fries” part.  There goes my plans for healthy.

But I got to thinking the other day, as I stared in the pantry trying to decide what to make for dinner, if I can make healthier homemade french fries by roasting potato sticks, why not try it with sweet potatoes?

I had a few sweet potatoes in my pantry, so I gave it a try.

For my family of five, I peeled two good sized sweet potatoes.

Using a really sharp knife, cut the potato lengthwise in just smaller than 1/2 inch slices.  If you don’t have a sharp knife, it might be safer to cut your potatoes across the width.  So the sweet potatoes cook consistently, try to cut even slices.

Next cut sticks… again trying to be even.

If your sticks are super long, cut them in half… so they are fry length pieces.

Toss them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  For my two potatoes, I used between 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, so they are coated evenly.

Sprinkle with a little sugar, I used 1/2 teaspoon.  I am really trying to cut down on sugar at our house.

Sprinkle in a little kosher salt.  I used about a teaspoon.

Now for flavor.  You could use a little cinnamon, but then you’d have to add more sugar.  So I went for a bit of spice with some Cajun Seasoning.  I used about 2 teaspoons.  You can use what ever seasoning suites your fancy.  Toss them well.

Spread them out on a greased cookie sheet in a single layer and put them in a preheated 450 degree oven.

I baked them for about 15 minutes, then took them out of the oven and flipped them over.

Bake them for about 15 minutes more or until they are getting nice and browned and a little crispy.

We loved them served with BBQ sauce whisked with just a little mayonnaise.

We had them with grilled fish and a salad last night, but they would also be great with burgers or grilled chicken.

Trust me on this one, they are worth turning the oven on for.  Totally addicting.