BASICS: Sweet Potato Wedges

Did You Know?  White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other.  For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. (via)

Back at it today with another BASICS post!  Have you guys made Basic Turkey Burgers yet? Hmmmm?!  Or Basic Crispy Chickpeas?  They’re both so easy, it’s a great first step to getting comfortable in your kitchen.  Today, we’re baking yummy, crispy, sweet potato wedges.  Again, sticking to a super basic recipe here, but if you master a few food basics, it’ll help you build & become a professional chef! (lollollol)

Let me start by explaining a sweet potato.

I’m a major potato fan, my nick name as a child was “SPUD”.  Switching from a regular, amazing, fluffy, potato to a sweet potato was a life adjustment – but I figured out the trick.  IMPORTANT:: There are different types of sweet potatoes that both taste & bake differently.  If you’re not into that sweet, orange, yam sweet potato – I got you!

Types of Sweet Potatoes:

• There are many varieties & types of sweet potatoes but these are the ones I see most often, AND what I’ve seen them called.  

Jewel/Garnet/Regular/Yams: Your traditional sweet potato. Orange, sweet, moist.  When you buy a sweet potato in the grocery store, you’ll almost always find 1 million of these.

Hannah: My favorite. They look like a regular potato, but they’re not!  Trick the mind.  The inside (flesh) is white & not as sweet as other varieties.  I LOVE these & buy them every time they’re available. They bake really well, with a nice golden finish. YUM!

Japanese: My second favorite sweet potato because they’re also similar to a regular potato, being white inside.  The skin is purple, but don’t let that scare you away.  They’re not as sweet at a regular, orange sweet potato & they also bake with a golden finish.

Purple Yams:  Bright purple on the skin AND in the middle, which I love simply because of the color.  Cooking w color adds variety to your dish & makes you look pro, trust me on this one. Cooking/eating should be an experience!  They aren’t as sweet as a regular sweet potato but they’re more moist than the two white ones, making them a little trickier to get super crispy. Great to add to a salad & add color!

{In Austin, I’ve seen only the traditional Jewel Yams in our local Trader Joe’s, so I make a special trip to the larger grocery store to pick up a variety of other sweet potatoes – it’s worth the trip.  If you’re only finding the traditional orange looking sweet potato/yam, most DEFINITELY take a trip to a different grocery store to try another variety.}

BASICS: Sweet Potato Wedges 

Ingredients:

1 Large Sweet Potato (any or all variety)

Olive Oil (fav)

Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (you know it’s my fav now!), if you don’t have paper, spray the sheet with olive oil.  Then, wash your sweet potato thoroughly.  I use a fruit & veggie wash from Trader Joe’s to wash my potatoes, but use whatever you’re comfortable with – even a good scrub under water will work.  (Check out this brush: here.)  Cut your potato into preferred wedge sizes.  I like my wedges to be a little thinner & long, like the size of a french fry, but do what you prefer.  Once cut, lay them out on your baking sheet, skin side up so the flesh of the potato (the inside) is face down.  Make sure the wedges have space in between them, this is important to get a crispy finish!  Spray with a very very thin layer of olive oil, or lightly toss with olive oil.  The less the better!  Sprinkle with preferred taste of salt.  Put in oven for 20 min.  Remove & flip each wedge.  Bake for another 5 min, or until the preferred level of crispy has been achieved.  Remove from oven & let stand to cool for 5-10 min! Serve & ENJOY!

TIPS:

• Use a large knife, preferably one that is long + wide.  I’m obsessed with the cheap knives from Ikea, I use this one: here.  Sweet potatoes are a little tricky to cut because they’re so hard!  Make sure you have a big, wide knife to make your life easier.
• Hannah & Japanese are my favorites & what I consider the best to bake, they the crispiest!
• The less olive oil the better! Similar to my Crispy Chickpea Recipe.  Too much olive oil is going to make it very challenging to get a nice brown crisp on your wedges.
• Letting your fries cool on the sheet is also really important. If you put them in a container right away, they’ll get soggy.
• Experiment with the different varieties of sweet potatoes, this was a game changer for me.  I’m not as big of a fan of the traditional orange/yam/sweet potato but love the others!  I also love doing a combo of all varieties. Try it!
• Sweet potatoes vary in price & variety depending on the store, so search around.  Although available year round, I believe the peak season is October – December so that’s a good time to try all varieties!
• Mix it up! Chop the potatoes into little cubes & bake the same way… When they’re done, add them to a salad or eat as morning hashbrowns!
• I learned MOLD is common in sweet potatoes. EEK!  Check the very tips of sweet potatoes to see if there’s any sign of mold (blue, fuzzy color) – it’s sneaky! And don’t let them sit in your kitchen for too long before cooking.

That’s it, the way to get some healthy, sweet potato wedges into your kitchen routines!  Trust me on this one guys, much better for you than another form of french fry + they’re easy & delicious.  That’s coming from a person who was devoted to a regular potato & nicknamed SPUD half my life… You can love this version too!

How are we liking these basic recipes??  If there’s any others you see me creating on Instagram, let me know & I’ll throw them in a post.

Have a great week & be thoughtful

Xx

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