Monday, August 4, 2008

(not your average) small fry

Part of my job as a fiancé has turned out to be cooking more than my share of the meals in our house. Fortunately, I enjoy cooking! Here is a tasty recipe for a side dish that can be added to any high protein meal like chicken, steak or fish - I call them "yam fries," but they would be better titled "thebestdamfriesyou'veeverhadinyourlife."


(image source here)

Everyone likes fries, but they don't like the highly hydrogenated oil, fat and starchiness that is usually associated with eating them. Even if you make them at home and bake them, they aren't going to pack a very nutritious punch. If you want to 'up the ante' and get more nutritional 'bang for your buck,' opt for some sweet potatoes; they're loaded with the immune system boosters vitamin A (as Beta-Carotene) and vitamin C. They're also high in manganese, vitamin B6 and are a good source of fibre. They also have a lower Glycemic Index rating than regular potatoes so your blood sugar won't rise and fall as quickly. So they keep you fuller, longer and are far better if you're looking to take part in any physical activity later where you don't want your energy to fall off too soon.

INGREDIENTS:

  • super big ass sweet potatos
  • himalayan salt or sea salt
  • cajun spice
  • olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

  1. turn the over on to 350 F/175 C
  2. drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil
  3. wash the yams
  4. peel the yams if they're not organic
  5. chop your sweet potato in half, then again
  6. chop those quarters into strips
  7. sprinkle sea salt/or himalayan salt and cajun spices over those bad boys
  8. scatter them on the baking sheet and drizzle more olive oil over them, tossing them to coat thoroughly
  9. cook them on the middle rack for approximately 35 minutes.

Be careful - you don't want to cook them too hot or too quickly because they can burn quite easily. If cooked properly they'll get nice and crispy on the outside and will be bursting with colour and flavour on the inside. NOTE: the cooking time could vary depending how thick your fries were cut.

You won't even need ketchup with them (which is good if you're watching your sugar intake) because they're far more flavourful than any regular small fry!

3 comments:

mrs shortcake said...

I for one, vouch for the deliciousness of these fries. nummers!

sweetartist said...

When I bake these babies up, I prefer to leave out the oil, for even fewer calories and mostly because I found it made them soggy, not crispy. Any suggestions?

theoddbod said...

i only use the oil if i think that they won't stick to the pan. if you have a good pan and dont need the oil, youre golden!