Truth be told I have always preferred good old Russet Potatoes over Sweet Potatoes. See, for me it is all about the crispy potato skin and while the I do love the inside of a sweet potato, the skin doesn’t really do it for me.
I even devoted an entire page to how to cook the Perfect Baked Potato in my eBook last year (Think Vegetables First) because I am into crispy baked potato skin like that.
However, as we discussed on Wednesday, our family is doing the #Whole30 (today is Day 5 and I would like a glass of wine thank you very much) and all potatoes except for sweet potatoes are out.
Since sweet potatoes are OK after a workout or occasionally (not intended to be an everyday food for the #Whole30), I thought we could use a little something crispy to get this weekend off to a good start.
Getting sweet potatoes crispy isn’t exactly easy. I decided to soak them to remove some of the starch, pat dry (really well!) and toss them in a coating of Old Bay and tapioca flour. Old Bay because, well seriously it just makes everything better. Tapioca flour because it is one of the few #Whole30 approved “flours” and my instinct was right that it would help the potatoes get crispier.
These Crispy Sweet Potatoes Fries do take a little bit of work but most of it is hands-off and totally worth it. They are crispy, a little spicy, a little sweet – and just all around good!
NOTES:
- Tapioca Flour a Gluten Free white flour that is made from the Cassava Plant. I found it at Whole Foods but have seen it at many other supermarkets as well as online.
- If you love Old Bay Seasoning like me, you may want to check out these shrimp, these shrimp and this chicken. I also have a recipe for Old Bay Parsnip Fries in my eBook – Vegetables First.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Crispy sweet potato fries recipe
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- warm water for soaking
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons tapioca flour
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Wash sweet potatoes. Peel if desired. I prefer to leave the skin on because I like the taste and it is a time-saver. Trim ends and cut into evenly-sized french fries by slicing 1/4" thick lengthwise slices. Slice these 1/4" thick slices into long "fries".
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Place cut fries in large bowl of warm water and soak for 30 minutes.
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Here is a picture of how cloudy the water looks after 30 minutes - this is some of the starch releasing from the potatoes.
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Preheat oven to 450F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Drain potatoes well and pat dry between paper towels.
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Return dried potatoes to bowl you used for soaking (make sure the bowl is dry as well!) and add the olive oil. Mix well with your hands until evenly dispersed.
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Mix Old Bay and tapioca flour together in a gallon-size storage bag. Add oil-coated potatoes to bag, seal and shake until well coated.
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Place fries on baking sheets in one layer with ample room between each fry (or they won't get crispy!).
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Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn fries, rotate baking sheets and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until crispy but not burnt.
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Serve hot and Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Shared with Fight Back Fridays.
I’m a serious sweet potato fry LOVER but I can see why you’d prefer the crispy exterior. I don’t know why it’s so much harder to get it on SP fries than it is on regular fries…but I’ll have to try your tapioca flour method!
I do love mashed sweet potatoes and all kinds of other sweet potato variations, it’s just when it comes to fries, I want them as crispy as possible 🙂
I love roast sweet potatoes! Never tried them with Old Bay, though – I’ll have to do that. Wonderful idea. And these really do seem extra crispy! Great stuff – thanks.
Definitely John 🙂
Alyssa,
Thank you so much for the great recipe and tips! I love Old Bay, and when I get inundated with sweet potatoes from the the CSA farm share it’s good to know that I can fix something the kids will like.
Appreciate it!
I love Old Bay so much – it is such a perfect fry coating!
I love sweet potato fries, great tips on how to get them crispy!
Sure Laura 🙂
Ooooh girl, I could eat the whole tray of these!
It was not easy only eating one serving I’ll tell you that!
Can I request these the next time I come over?
Definitely!
Those sweet potatoes sure look yummy. Perhaps if you use purple or white sweet potatoes (they have drier texture) you could skip the soaking.
Great idea Norma! I am going to try that next 🙂
I need to try the soaking technique. Looks so delish and I love old bay!!
Yes, it really does help the fries crisp up 🙂
French fries really are fabulous, especially homemade ones. I love all the tips for crispy baked fries you share here (the soaking method makes so much sense) and I can’t wait to make a batch. Your photos are making me quite hungry!
Thanks Hannah – I am a sucker for Fries of any kind!
Yum!! Funny, I posted fries too! I usually opt for sweet potatoes for health reasons, but I can’t resist regular ole french fry potatoes. Someone else mentioned soaking before baking, I will have to try that. We love Old Bay in our house!
The soaking before baking is even better with Russet’s Aggie!