Crispy Sweet Potato Fries made with Coconut Oil
Crispy Sweet Potato Fries made with Coconut Oil might be the best way to eat sweet potatoes. Just look at these crispy, seasoned, beautiful fries! Yum.
I started a cleanse last week. It’s not as bad as it sounds, really. I’m supposed to eat an unlimited array of veggies, and protein smoothies, and some fruit. I can do it. It’s only 21 days. 😉 But when I talked to my doctor about starting this specific cleanse, he was worried. You see–for me, I need good healthy fats in my diet and my doctor was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be getting these healthy fats in. But I put his mind at ease when I told him I’ll include a scoop of coconut oil in my smoothies. Problem solved.
As I’m starting my second week of this cleanse, I craved something more. Yeah, a cheesesteak would be awesome, but DISCIPLINE. So I started searching the internet. How can I gussy up my veggies while getting good healthful fat in my diet? Well look no further–SWEET POTATO FRIES and GOLDEN BARREL COCONUT OIL for the win! And yes, I’m allowed to have sweet potatoes on this cleanse…just not regular potatoes. And we all know the benefits of coconut oil. Boom. Let’s do this!
I’ve made regular fries this way so I wanted to try making sweet potato fries like this too–by first frying some in coconut oil in a pan on the stove, then finishing them off in the oven. There is one step that’s a must in order to get your sweet potato fries crispy. Usually sweet potato fries are limp, soggy, anything but crispy. But I wanted that familiar crunchy texture that’s more along the lines of a traditional fry. So cut up your sweet potatoes in thin strips and soak them in water. The first time I made these, I let them soak for about an hour. The second time, since I knew I was making them–I let them soak in the fridge overnight. So…plan accordingly.
After they’ve been soaking, give a quick rinse then set them on a dish towel and pat dry. (Here’s the key to getting them nice and crispy!) –> Put the sweet potatoes in a ziplock bag that has corn starch in it and shake. Evenly coat the fries and you’re ready to cook ’em in your pan.
Because these fries need to cook at a high temperature, Golden Barrel Coconut Oil is the best oil in which to fry them. Refined coconut oil has a higher smoke point (400 degrees F) than unrefined coconut oil (350 degrees F), thus making it a must for this recipe. Plus, by using refined coconut oil, your fries won’t taste like coconut in the least, but you’re still getting the same healthful benefits as you would if you used unrefined coconut oil. When fried in the pan first, these fries get beautifully crispy brown. After that, only a few minutes in the oven and they’re done.
I sprinkled some of our favorite fry seasoning on these (Steak ‘n Shake’s seasoning) but feel free to use whatever you prefer–chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, or just plain salt and/or pepper–these fries are tasty any way you eat them!
So whether you’re on a cleanse like me, or just want to have some super tasty, CRISPY sweet potato fries, these fries will leave you satisfied. Try them today!
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons Golden Barrel Coconut Oil
- seasoning
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Peel sweet potatoes, then cut into thin fry-shaped slices.
- Fill a bowl with cold water and add sweet potato slices to the bowl. Let soak for an hour or overnight.
- Drain water from bowl and rinse sweet potatoes with cold water. Place on dish towel and pat dry.
- Measure out corn starch and place into a zip-top plastic bag. Add sliced sweet potatoes and shake until potatoes are evenly coated with corn starch. (You may have to do this in several batches, depending on the size of your sweet potatoes. Thus, add cornstarch as needed.)
- Heat a large stainless (or cast iron) skillet on med-high (closer to high) heat, adding coconut oil to the skillet. Let oil heat up until you start to see smoke coming from skillet. Then carefully place sweet potatoes into the skillet, watching that the hot oil doesn't splash up and burn you. (Add more oil as needed.)
- Stir fries until most are brown and crispy. Finish off in the oven (pan and all, if it's a metal pan) for about 10 minutes, stirring once.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle seasoning of your choice over the fries and enjoy immediately.
Recipe adapted from The Art of Doing Stuff.
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What’s the idea behind finishing off in the oven? Thanks in advance!
The pan frying gets them nice and crispy on the outside and the baking insures they’re cooked through in the middle. 😊
This is not working for me. Big gummy greasy ball of fry mush
I skipped the extra step of putting in the oven and they turned out awesome! I also sprinkled with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and sea salt as soon as I took them out of skillet. My husband went crazy for them. Thank you for the recipe.
Why do you need to soak them in water?
I believe refined coconut oil lacks the nutrients that unrefined has, so almost defeats the purpose of using a healthy oil. I use the virgin unrefined oil, and due to using a little lower temperature I fry them a little longer which ends up eliminating the need to bake in oven after. But I think like with all recipe’s, we all have different appliances and different ingredients and different likes/dislikes, so trial and effort seems to help some find what works for them. thanks for post.