It's week #6 of my 2018 challenge to try one new whole-food plant-based (WFPB) recipe each week. I found this recipe on the Cookie + Kate website, which celebrates plant-based whole foods. You can get the recipe, and many more healthy recipe ideas, at cookieandkate.com.    

What I like about this recipe (besides the fact that it's healthy):

• What's more comforting than fries?! These fries are packed with beta-carotene and many more health-promoting nutrients. (Kinda seems too good to be true!)
• It's simple - just sweet potato and a bit of olive oil, plus seasoning. 
• The flavor is a nice combination of savory and sweet.  
• It's a hearty side dish, offering a great source of energy for athletes and growing kids. 

What I ended up using/doing:

This is a little crazy for me, but I actually followed the directions on this one.  So check out the Cookie + Kate recipe for detailed instructions.  The basics are as follows.

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
• Peel sweet potatoes and cut into fries.
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes (just enough to coat).
• To coat, I just used my hands, mixing the potatoes and olive oil in a bowl until covered evenly.
• You can add a little cornstarch (about a teaspoon per potato) to make them crispier. I experimented with this, dividing my potatoes and adding cornstarch to half of them. Both were delicious, but my preference was for the ones without cornstarch. The cornstarch made them a bit crispier, but also made them appear dry. I also found that the seasoning stuck better to the potatoes with just olive oil.  
• I baked mine on a preheated baking stone. It worked well. No sticking. You can also use a cookie sheet. (Foil is not recommended.)
• You can season them with whatever you like. I ended up using Montreal steak seasoning (available in a shaker in the spice section of the grocery store). This seasoning contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the potatoes. I sprinkled the seasoning once the potatoes were spread out onto the baking stone, just before putting them in the oven.   
• I baked mine for 15 minutes, flipped them, then baked them for another 10 minutes. 

They turned out delicious!

I hope you enjoy them too!

RECIPES Page

This post was originally published on February 9, 2018.