Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries (AIP, Paleo, Whole30)
Oh YUM! Sweet potato fries for the win! I absolutely love making these as a side dish for dinners. They help change things up and are a special treat! Find some dips that fit your diet or eating style and you can change them up even more!
I have been on the Autoimune Protocol (AIP) elimination diet for so long…..far too long (to read why, check out my About page or read about my autoimmune diagnosis). And it can get so boring when you can only have butternut or sweet potaot as your carbs for dinner.
BUT, I change things up with sweet potato fries. I find that baking them as fries changes the flavor ever so slightly. Plus it feels like you are having some junk food, even though it is not.
And adding some chimichurri to these fries is my new favorite addition to changing things up! Nothing beats a good steak or burger with some fries and chmichurri on a Friday night after a long week at work.
If you are following a strict eating plan such as the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), Paleo or Whole30 and you are stuck with how to change things up, sweet potato fries might just help you with that!
You can use any type of sweet potato to make fries. I find the Japanese sweet potaotes a little bit too dry, but if you have a good dip, then they should do too.
My favorite are the purple sweet potatoes and second in line are the orange sweet potatoes. Baking them as fries makes the orange ones less sweet, so they go better with other dishes.
Step by step guide for oven baked sweet potato fries
In less than half an hour you can make delicious sweet potato fries to go with your BBQ or any other dish.
To start, wash your sweet potato and cut of the ends. If you see any blemishes you can cut these out too.
At this point you also want to preheat your oven to 380°F (190°C).
Peeling them is optional. Sometimes the sweet potatoes have a very thick skin, then we prefer to peel them. But most times we don’t bother.
Cut the sweet potato into slices lengthwise and then slice these into strips. Try to cut all the fries into evenly thick slices to make sure they cook evenly. Otherwise you might end up with some raw and some burnt fries.
Put all the fries onto a plate and drizzle a little bit of oil on. Avocado oil or olive oil both work well for this. You don’t need a lot of oil. Also add some salt at this point. Don’t add too much, you can always add some later.
With your hands, mix them up and move them around to make sure the fries are evenly covered in oil. You only want a thin coating all around.
Place a grid over a baking sheet or roasting pan. You will want this to capture any oil that might drip off. And then pace your fries on the grid, spacing them out evenly. They can lie quite close together, but try to not let them touch each other.
Once your oven is up to temperature, place the tray in the middle of your oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. At this point they should be mostly cooked and starting to brown ever so slightly. Flip each sweet potato fry over so the other side also gets some browning and set the timer for another 5 minutes.
If your fries were cuu quite thick, you might need to add another minute or two.
And voila, this is how you bake sweet potato fries the easy way! No fuss and no mess.
Please let me know how these sweet potato fries turn out for you in the comments below! Or, even better, share some pictures of your favorite dishes with these fries and tag me on Instagram (@thyme.and.balance).
Following the AIP, Paleo or Whole30 eating styles can be tricky and challenging. We miss some of our usuals. But we can mix things up and keep going! If you want to get more easy recipes to help shake it up, subscribe to my newsletter and you will get monthly updates of what’s new!
Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
Equipment
- sharp kitchen knife
- cutting board
- Baking sheet/cookie tray/roasting pan
- Grid that fits over the tray
- Large dinner plate
Ingredients
- 1 small Sweet Potato
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or Avocado oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 380°F (190°C).
- Wash the sweet potato, cut the ends off and cut out any blemishes. Peeling the sweet potato is optional.
- Slice the sweet potato into evenly thick slices, lengthwise. And then cut those slices into strips. The more evenly they are sliced the better to make sure they all cook evenly.
- Transfer the sweet potat onto a place. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and oil over them. With your hands, mix them up and move them around to get even coverage of oil on all the fries. You don't need a lot of oil, just a light covering is plenty. A tablespoon is probably more than enough.
- Place a grid over a baking sheet or raosting pan, and transfer the sweet potato onto the grid. You want a pan underneath the grid to catch any oil drops or fries that accidentally fall through the grid.
- Space the fries evently onto the grid, making sure they do not touch.
- Once the oven is up to temperature, place the pan and grid in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- At 20 minutes, turn the sweet potato and place in the overn for another 5 to 7 minutes. If your fries are very thick, you might need to add a few more minutes.
- Once they are cooked they are ready to enjoy with your favorite condiments and protein.
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