Sweet Potato Superfood

I'll start by telling you that I eat a lot of sweet potatoes.  They are super healthy and satisfying too.  I often eat them mashed as a side with chicken and a vegetable for dinner.  It is a great way to eat them - peel and quarter potatoes, cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook until just tender (about 20 minutes), drain and mash with a potato masher until desired consistency.  You could finish them off with a pat of butter but I recommend trying them as is with just a little sprinkle of sea salt.  There is so much flavor there it is really all they need.

The other way I love to eat sweet potatoes is as fries.  Who doesn't like a fry, right?  But, after deciding that the precut ones that come frozen are cut too small, resulting in fries that have too much crunch and not enough meat to them, I decided I would experiment with making them from scratch.

I learned there are two important steps to take to ensure the perfect outcome - make sure to cut the sweet potatoes into large enough wedges, about 1/2 inch thick (you should get about 16 fries out of a medium/large potato) and to cook them at a not too hot temperature of 375 degrees.  Once the fries are cut, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and toss to evenly coat each piece, then arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.  For two medium/large sweet potatoes (about 4 servings), it should take approximately 45 minutes, flipping them halfway through.  Definitely keep a close eye on them though and keep checking them every now and then until they are done just right - slightly crispy and golden on the outside, tender on the inside.