Whipping out the Mandoline

It was a weeknight and I got home a little later than I had planned. My youngest was on a deadline to get to a meeting and I had to get dinner on the table. I started the main dish, looked and noticed that I had baked sweet potato fries on the menu. I preheated the oven and started the task of peeling the sweet potatoes.

As that chore was being finished (in between tending to the main dish), I kept looking at the clock. I needed to shave a few minutes off of the fries in order to get the kid fed before he needed to leave. One way to do that was to cut the fries thin. Unfortunately the time that I would save in cooking would be lost in all the extra cuts I needed to make. That is when my mandoline came to mind.

I whipped it out and in less than a minute I had all the potatoes thinly sliced into chips.

These were great with the garlic and paprika seasonings.

Not much to these.

The disadvantage to doing chips is you need more room to spread them out. Where they overlapped, they did not crisp up as well.

Out of the oven. If you decide to make chips, keep an eye on them for the last five minutes until they are done.

Perfection!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Makes: 3 to 5 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

House Seasoning:

• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/4 tbsp  black pepper
• 1/4 tbsp garlic powder
• Olive Oil, for tossing
• 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4-wide inch strips, using a crinkle cut knife
• Oil
• 1 tablespoon House Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are no longer limp, turning occasionally, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-sweet-potato-fries-recipe/index.html