Recipe: Spiced Sweet Potato Sticks

Have I mentioned that I love sweet potatoes? If not, I'll do it now: I love sweet potatoes.  All the benefits of a regular potato with Beta Keratin through the roof.  Plus, they just taste good.  This recipe is something like a steak fry.  It is a bit thicker than a traditional one but thinner than a wedge.

 I used two different types of sweet potatoes to try this out.  The first was a white sweet potato (color of regular potato, taste and texture of the sweet) and a regular one.  The white sweet potato cooked a bit faster, so thats something to keep in mind.

 The prep process is very easy, they can be seasoned however you like, and one potato should serve at least two (this is a good bit cheaper than buying them frozen, in my opinion, and they take about the same amount of time to cook).  As for seasoning, you can use anything in your pantry: Dried herbs, spices (from curry powder to cayenne and beyond), a bit of maple syrup, dijon mustard, etc.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

You will need:
1 sweet potato (for every 2 people)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cayenne

Preheat the oven to 450.

To start the prep, wash the sweet potato with hot soapy water scrubbing to remove any dirt. Dry it, and then cut it in half length-wise.  Placing one half flesh side down, begin cutting the sweet potato into 1/4th inch or so strips.  Lay each strip flat and then cut it into 2-3 sticks.

Put all the strips into a large bowl and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil (if it appears to need a bit more to coat the sticks, go ahead and add it).  In a little bowl add a quarter to half palmful of salt, and then pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne to taste.  I used approximately equal parts garlic powder and paprika to the salt, half that amount of the pepper, and just a kick of the cayenne. Mix all of these together and then sprinkle over the potatoes in the bowl and mix them with your hand to coat evenly.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and use either cooking spray or a bit of olive oil to grease it and prevent it from sticking.  Cook in the 450 degree oven for 20 minutes on side one and 5-10 minutes on side two, or until golden brown.  Keep an eye on the sticks, and turn the oven down to 425 if they appear to be browning too fast.

Serve shortly after removing from oven.