Comfort Food: Sweet Potato Oven Fries With Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

However, I don’t always want to eat them when they are fried in grease, defeating the health benefits of this delicious vegetable. So when I saw that The Old Farmer’s Almanac Comfort Food cookbook had a recipe for sweet potato fries that are baked in the oven, I jumped on it and tried the recipe for myself.

While they don’t have that crispy fried crunch like the restaurant fries have, they are far more healthy and you can enjoy them without guilt. While different, they are equally delicious and the dipping sauce is out of this world. It is a perfect recipe to make for yourself or for a group of people.

The dipping sauce can be adjusted to taste. I added a bit more mustard and sour cream to mine. I don’t know what was better. The sauce, or the garlic on the fries, or the touch of paprika. All of it combined for a restaurant quality appetizer. I’m planning on making these finger-lickin’ good fries again very soon!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries With Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
(from page 92 of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Comfort Food cookbook)

Fries:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
cayenne pepper, to taste

For fries:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cut the sweet potatoes in half, lengthwise, then slice each half into long sticks roughly 1/3 of an inch thick. Transfer to a large bowl; sprinkle with the oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper, to taste; and toss with your hands, taking care to make the seasonings “stick” as well as possible.
• Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet, keeping them from touching. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and turn the sweet potatoes with a spatula. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 15 minutes more.

For sauce:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Variation:
• For thicker “steak” fries, quarter the potatoes lengthwise, then cut each quarter into two or three long wedges. Proceed as above, but bake at 400°F for 30 to 35 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes.

Want more delicious baking or anytime ideas? Get your copy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Comfort Food cookbook today!

Order online or call 800-ALMANAC. Also available for purchase as an eBook or wherever books are sold.