While dining on a pub patio in Toronto last week, I couldn’t help but notice all the people eating French fries while chugging copious amounts of beer, and I have to admit, those fries looked good! But when the waitress asked me if I wanted fries or salad with my chicken wrap I went for the salad. Because I’ve been clean eating for so long now, I rarely crave junk food and it was an easy decision to make. And ultimately, it’s those kinds of choices that make a big difference to your waistline and your heart health.
That said, those golden brown fried potatoes had taken up residence in a small part of my brain and upon arriving home I was inspired to whip up a “nutritionist-approved” version: sweet potato fries. I will share the recipe with you here although I hesitate to even refer to it as a recipe because if you can turn on an oven and add a little seasoning, you can pull this dish together.
Sweet potatoes are a wonderful and healthy comfort food any time of year. They are a source of many different nutrients, including: vitamin C (potent antioxidant), dietary fibre, B vitamins, particularly niacin (B3) and B6, potassium, magnesium, copper and iron. Sweet potatoes also have extremely high levels of beta-carotene, which is the precursor to the all important vitamin A and a nutrient important for cancer-fighting and keeping colds at bay. Eating these fries with a little olive oil aids in the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A.
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, chopped into any size of French fry stick you prefer (I like mine chunky)
Olive oil
Natural garlic sea salt (My fave brand: Redmond Real Salt)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Note: If you purchase organic potatoes, do not remove the skin – it’s nutritious and delicious!
Method
Place the sweet potato fries into a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season as you wish with the garlic sea salt, pepper or even a touch of curry powder would be nice too! Cook at 350F for 45 minutes, poke with a fork at 30 minutes to check how they are coming along. When they are getting tender, turn up the temp to 400F for 10 minutes as this makes them crispy on the outside.
Make these fries for a summer BBQ party or as a healthy side dish or for dinner.
EnJOY.
Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well, live well and be happy.
Joy has clients from all over the world and consults via phone and Skype. Contact Joy today and take the first step to achieving joyous health. REASONS TO HIRE A HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST.
Joy, I remember reading one of your other posts where you explain why cooking with olive oil is not a good idea & it should be used for drizzling over already cooked dishes. Can you explain why it’s ok to use olive oil in cooking this dish?
The EVOO does not turn rancid because it does not hit it’s smoke point and become a free radical. When you sautee on a the stove top the temp can get up to 600 degrees!