Japanese Sweet Potato Fries

 

Ingredients:

1 medium Japanese sweet potato- scrubbed and cut into thin slices

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp red chili powder

salt

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub your sweet potato and slice into thin strips. Place the sweet potato fries in a bowl.

Toss the sweet potato fries with oil and sprinkle in cornstarch- make sure the fries are evenly coated.

 Bake for 20-25 minutes. Again, check-in and flip the fries so they are cooking evenly. More time may be needed to achieve the desired crispiness.

Once your sweet potato fries are golden brown and crispy remove from the oven and place them on a plate. Sprinkle with red chili powder and salt if desired.

In Japan, these potatoes are called Satsumaimo. They have a red toned purple skin with a pale cream interior that becomes a creamy yellow color after cooking. They're typically much smaller or slender than other varieties.

Orange sweet potatoes are orange on the inside and stay orange after being cooked. The texture is a lot more moist and wet kind of like pumpkin. Japanese ones are creamy white on the inside and then turn creamy golden yellow after being cooked. The texture is starchier and dryer (in a good way like a russet potato), almost fluffy like a dense cake. They're also a lot sweeter, caramelize and ooze out sugar on the outside when baked and has a subtle nutty flavor. It's often described to have a sweet chestnut-like texture and flavor.

If you ever see one in your grocery store I hope you buy one. As you might of noticed there aren't many left- they are SO GOOD! I grow them in the garden now.