Spectacular Sides: Sweet Potato Fries

I really, really, really did NOT like sweet potatoes when I was growing up.  I mean, ugh, they were all mushy and orange and blech!  Of course, back then, the only kind of sweet potato that I had came with 5 pounds of brown sugar and butter and was dotted with white or pastel-colored mini marshmallows.  Way too rich for my tastebuds!

Then there was sweet potato pie, which was like fool's gold to me.  Looked like pumpkin pie, smelled like pumpkin pie, sorta tasted like pumpkin pie, but had a fibrous texture that let my brain know it was definitely not pumpkin pie.

It was about 5 years ago that I learned there were numerous ways to prepare sweet potatoes, and after trying various recipes, I also learned that some of them were actually really good!  I felt as though a part of my childhood had been stolen.  Why did I not know of this before???

Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins and much healthier to eat than a regular potato.  So why not eat sweet potatoes?

One of my favorite ways to have sweet potatoes is in the form of a french fry -- sweet & savory all at the same time.  Plus, it's homemade, and what's better than  that?!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel sweet potato, then cut into thin strips.  Sweet potatoes are rather tough tubers, so it helps to cut the sweet potato in half across its width, then cut the halves into thin strips.  Place sweet potato strips into a large bowl and drizzle olive oil over them.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then with cinnamon sugar.  Mix all ingredients together.  Add more cinnamon and/or sugar if desired.  I usually eyeball until the sweet potato strips "look right."

Place sweet potato strips onto a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes, turn strips over, then bake an additional 15 minutes or until desired tenderness/crispiness is reached.  I like mine crispy on the outside, tender on the inside! 8-}