Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

ingredients

Sweet Potatoes
1 or 2 Eggs
Flour
1 or 2 baking sheets and 1 or 2 similar sized cooling racks (you'll probably need 2 if you're feeding a family) - Alternately, if you don't have cooling racks, use parchment-lined baking sheets sprayed with a bit of cooking spray
Spices (salt, pepper and any of seasoning salt, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon etc)

method

1. Lay out 2 baking sheets and place a cooling rack on top of each one.

2. Peel the sweet potatoes (or leave peel on, if you prefer). Cut in small "fries" (the smaller, thinner the better). Spread potatoes out evenly over the 1 or 2 cooling racks, trying not to bunch them up or overlap if possible. Pop into the refrigerator (uncovered) for an hour. (*This step is intended to dry the potatoes out a bit. You can skip it if you're pressed for time but if you have the time, I do recommend).

3.. Preheat oven to 425° F.

4. Separate 1 or 2 eggs (depending on how many fries you need to coat) and discard or reserve the yolks to use later. In a large bowl (or ziploc bag), whisk the egg whites until just lightly frothy. Add the potatoes and stir (or shake) to thoroughly to coat with egg whites (set baking sheets/cooling racks aside to be used for baking). Once coated with egg white, sprinkle on a bit of all-purpose flour (just one or two Tablespoons to start, depending on how many potatoes) and stir again to combine well. Add a bit more flour if the mixture still seems really runny but avoid adding too much flour.

6. Spray the cooling racks with non-stick spray (or rub with a little olive oil). Place potatoes carefully on the cooling racks (placed onto the 1 or 2 baking sheets), shaking off any excess coating. Leave as much space between potatoes as possible. Try not to overlap any or crowd the sheet. You want a bit of air between each fry.

8. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and/or any other spices you like (seasoning salt, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne etc).

9. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until cooked. Don't wander too far while they are cooking, so you can keep an eye on their progress. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fries and they go from lovely to burnt very quickly. If you are baking two sheets, place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and switch their position half way through baking.

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hours 30 min
Yield: 4 servings