WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Sweet potatoes cook very differently than white potatoes— a fact that is nowhere more apparent than when making fries. It’s very hard to make sweet potato fries that rival classic French fries made from russets. Sweet potato fries are typically either soggy or burnt— and often they hit both marks at once. Occasionally a restaurant manages to deliver crispy sweet potato fries, but they never taste much like the tuber. These fries are usually not even house-made: They’re frozen fries purchased from a food-processing plant. Furthermore, they’re frequently cut too thin for our liking, offering little in the way of a supercreamy, sweet-tasting interior—which is, in our opinion, the biggest selling point of this vegetable. Fueled by a serious hunger for good thick-cut sweet potato fries, we ordered 50 pounds of the orange spuds and got to work. The secret is the cornstarch, which creates a thin coating that ensures a crisp exterior for the sweet potato fries. If your sweet potatoes are shorter than 4 inches in length, do not cut the wedges crosswise.
SERVES: 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
SPICY FRY SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
FRIES
- ½ cup cornstarch
- Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise into ¾-inch-thick wedges, wedges halved crosswise
- 3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- For the spicy fry sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for serving.
- For the fries, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Whisk cornstarch and ½ cup cold water together in large bowl; set aside.
- Bring 2 quarts water, ¼ cup salt, and baking soda to boil in Dutch oven. Add potatoes and return to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until exteriors turn slightly mushy (centers will remain firm), 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch slurry to recombine. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to bowl with slurry.
- Using rubber spatula, fold potatoes with slurry until slurry turns light orange, thickens to paste, and clings to potatoes.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat to 325 degrees. Using tongs, carefully add one-third of potatoes to oil, making sure that potatoes aren’t touching one another. Fry until crispy and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes, using tongs to flip potatoes halfway through frying (adjust heat as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 280 and 300 degrees). Using slotted spoon, transfer fries to prepared rack (fries that stick together can be separated). Season with salt to taste, and transfer to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat in 2 more batches with remaining potatoes. Serve immediately, with the sauce, if desired.
