Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Aioli

After I posted a recipe for onion rings a couple of months ago (which turned out to be the most popular recipe I’ve ever posted on Serenity in the Storm — go figure! I guess everyone likes onion rings!), I kept thinking about creating a recipe for sweet potato fries that were similarly breaded. The smokiness of the breading mixture on the onion rings kept screaming sweet potatoes to me. As a special treat this weekend and a celebration of completing my e-book, I decided to try out making these fries, using the same basic process as I did for the onion rings, but with a few tweaks. They were delicious. Crunchy on the outside, creamy and sweet on the inside, with a hint of smokiness. Paired with this chipotle aioli dipping sauce, they are such a treat.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries: The Recipe

Makes 3-4 servings

2-3 medium-sized sweet potatoes

1 cup plain soy creamer (or other vegan creamer)

1 TBLS apple cider vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 TBLS cornstarch

2 TSP salt

1 TSP smoked paprika

1 TSP garlic powder

generous grinds of black pepper

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

3 TBLS vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment (hint: this makes two batches worth of sweet potato fries). If you want them all ready at once, you will want two baking sheets lined with parchment). In a bowl, mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and 1 TSP salt. In another shallow bowl, mix soy creamer and vinegar and stir. Add the cornstarch to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in half the flour mixture. On a large plate, mix the panko, the remaining 1 TSP salt and the oil. You’ll have three stations to dip the fries in. The first is the flour mixture (I find it best with these to pour the flour mixture out onto a plate, since the fries are awkward to dip into a bowl). The second is the milk mixture in a shallow bowl. And the third is the plate of panko breadcrumbs.

It’s up to you whether you peel the sweet potato or not – either way is fine. Slice the sweet potato in long 1/4-inch wide pieces (shaped like fries). They don’t have to be perfect, just generally about the same thickness so they all cook in about the same amount of time. Start dipping! First, dunk the sweet potato in the flour, then the milk mixture, letting the excess liquid drip off before coating the sweet potato in the panko breadcrumbs. Lay the prepared fries on the parchment-lined baking sheets. The fries should not be touching each other. Bake for 12 minutes and then gently flip the fries over. Bake for another 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately while still hot with chipotle aioli (recipe below), ketchup, or your dipping sauce of choice.

NOTE: You can freeze these. Simply lay them on the parchment lined baking sheet as described above. Place the whole baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, remove fries and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.

Chipotle Aioli: The Recipe

Makes 1/2 cup

1/2 CUP vegan sour cream

1/4 TSP garlic powder

1/8 TSP salt

1/4 TSP smoked paprika

pinch of chipotle chili powder

pinch of ground cumin

1 TSP lime juice

In a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the aioli. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

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