I don't know about you guys but I LOVE sweet potatoes. There is just something about their natural sweetness that is so satisfying. On top of it all they are healthier and have less calories than normal potatoes. What is not to love?
Sweet potatoes, believe it or not, are distantly related from the potato. They are part of the same taxonomic order (solanales) but their families and genera are different. Tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, and eggplant all have more in common with the potato than the sweet potato does. They are all part of the same family as the potato (solanacea) while the sweet potato is in the convolvulaceae family. If you are looking for an example from the animal world, rhinos and horses are in the same order while horses and zebras are in the same family. Very few people know that the potato and sweet potato are this distantly related from each other!
The sweet potato grows as a vine plant. Every time the vine replants itself a tuberous root grows. That is the sweet potato! The sweet potato was domesticated in either Central or South America and from there spread to Europe after Columbus' contact with natives in the Caribbean. The sweet potato made its way to the Philippines, and later the rest of Asia, from across the Pacific via the Spanish colonies in Mexico. Interestingly enough, the sweet potato also made its way to the Pacific Islands through contact with South America 400 years before Columbus.
Today I am using two different kinds of sweet potatoes, the common orange sweet potato that we are all used to in the United States, and the Asian sweet potato. Asian sweet potatoes can be found at any Asian grocery store and are slowly showing up at normal grocery stores. I have seen them at New Seasons and they are on the computer system at the self-checkout at Fred Meyer so I am guessing they will be there soon! They also go by Japanese, Korean, or Oriental sweet potatoes, so you can look for those names too. These two sweet potatoes are a bit different in taste. The orange sweet potato in much softer and more moist, while the Asian sweet potato is harder and has a chestnut-like flavor. There are other kinds of sweet potatoes that you can get at the grocery store, so don't be afraid to venture out! I hope you all enjoy these sweet and savory fries!
Josh's Baked Sweet Potato Fries
The sweet potato grows as a vine plant. Every time the vine replants itself a tuberous root grows. That is the sweet potato! The sweet potato was domesticated in either Central or South America and from there spread to Europe after Columbus' contact with natives in the Caribbean. The sweet potato made its way to the Philippines, and later the rest of Asia, from across the Pacific via the Spanish colonies in Mexico. Interestingly enough, the sweet potato also made its way to the Pacific Islands through contact with South America 400 years before Columbus.
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| Different trips made across the Pacific by the sweet potato. Polynesians in 1100 (red), Spanish (blue) and Portuguese(yellow) around 1500. |
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| Sweet Potato Vines |
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| Asian (left) and orange (right) sweet potatoes |
Ingredients:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of paprika
Directions:
- Preheat oven at 450 degrees. I used a gas oven with this recipe. Gas ovens are very accurate but if you have an electric oven be aware that the temps might be off a bit. If you bake you already know this about your oven though. Just be sure to adjust accordingly and to keep an eye on the sweet potatoes so that so not get burnt.
- Peel potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch strips. The size of the fries can vary but I found a 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch is the best.
- Put fry strips in bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of paprika. When I make sweet potato fries, my general rule of thumb is a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 tsp of both salt and paprika for each large sweet potato. You want just enough oil to cover the sweet potatoes, so depending on the size of the potatoes you may need more or less oil. I think it is important to not over season the sweet potatoes. They have such great natural flavor, you don't want to over power it with too much salt and paprika.
- Spread fries on a baking sheet and put oven for 15 minuets. The fries can overlap a little bit when you put them on the baking sheet, you just don't want it to pile up.
Ready to bake! - Flip and stir fries. Put them back in the oven for another 10-15 minuets. You have to keep an eye on this one. Depending on how many fries are in there, you might need more or less time. With my batch 10 minuets was perfect but it can vary.
- Plate up and enjoy! You can eat these with any condiment you would use with normal fries. I like them just by themselves and sometimes with a little ketchup. It is all up to you!
Ready to eat!
I hope you all enjoy these fries. If you have tried my recipes and like them, be sure to share with other where you got the recipe! haha. On the right hand side of the blog there are a few different ways that you can follow my blog and have easy access to the recipes that I post. If you have any questions or feed back, feel free to write a comment below. Happy eating!
Josh
Sources:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/sweetpotato.html
Looks delicious! I'm excited to try the Asian sweet potato. Are you making this for dinner tomorrow night? ;)
ReplyDeleteI could but I am guessing mom has something planned. haha
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