Let’s talk… (sweet) Potatoes! #2 – Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
I am positive that everyone loves good crispy french fries. I am no different from the rest, albeit the occasional enjoyment of sucking on soggy & cold french fries.. 😛
The science behind crispy potatoes may not surprise you after all. It reveals that these crispy potatoes, i.e. french fries, are very unhealthy for us. In continuation of this sweet potato series and my prelude post: Let’s talk… (sweet) Potatoes! #1 , a chemical called acrylamide is formed during high-temperature cooking processes. This infamous chemical is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer. Despite that, the most popular way to cook potatoes is by frying or deep-frying them in a canister of oil.
Enough depressing talk… The main question that we all came here for, how to make the perfect fries? A few simple steps will improve the crispiness of your fries. YAS!
1. Soaking, rinsing, drying
Soaking cut potatoes in a cold salt-water solution will help to reduce the water content in the potatoes through osmosis. You should then rinse and pat dry the excess starch from the potatoes after soaking. This is an important method that should be done before coating them in oil and baking/frying them. If the extra starch is left on the surface, it blocks the evaporation of moisture from the potato and the result is a softer, mushier fried potato. It also helps to prevent potatoes from sticking together.
2. Oil coating
This is a standard procedure when it comes to frying or baking (not deep-frying, for obvious reasons). Oil is much denser than water. It does not evaporate easily, which helps to transfer heat energy to the food surface faster. Therefore, oil creates a browning reaction to the surface of the potatoes, making them crispier.
3. Double-frying / Parboiling
Double-frying your potatoes is the last step for your perfect fries. This double-frying involves a lower temperature and a higher temperature. The lower temperature helps to cook the potatoes and allows the starch to form an “external wall crust”, holding the shape of the fries. The higher temperature frying then causes browning reactions on the surface of the fries, creating the desired crispiness. The deep-frying method is also considered as frying with higher temperature.
Alternatively, double-frying method can be dismissed by parboiling the potatoes – allowing the potatoes to cook briefly, before drying, seasoning and frying once in high heat.
Bonus info: baking?
The main difference between baking and frying is the consistency of oil on the food surface. When frying, the food is constantly surrounded by oil and hence produces higher heat energy. Baking tends to require a longer time for the warming of the food. If you choose the baking method, do take the fries out for a quick stir / shake between intervals to re-coat with oil.
Now that we have gone through the “science” of crispy fries – it has a nice ring, doesn’t it? – we are now ready to give it a go! 🙂
Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potatoes
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 4 tbsp Olive oil , for seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- Olive oil , for frying
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes with a peeler. Cut the potatoes into thick-Julienne style with a knife.
- Soak the potatoes in salt-water solution for at least 45 minutes. You can leave them to soak overnight too.
- Rinse the soaked potatoes with cold water, removing excess starch on the surface. Pat them dry using paper towels, or lightly bake them in an oven (max 110 degrees Celsius / fan-assisted). *
- In a large mixing bowl, season the potatoes with olive oil, paprika, pepper by hand or tongs. I prefer tossing to coat in the bowl itself.
- Cook the potatoes on medium heat for about 12 minutes, flipping occasionally. Remove the potatoes from the pan and place them over paper towels to cool (around 15 minutes).
- Deep fry the potatoes with high heat in oil for about 6 minutes until golden brown. Remove and blot with a paper towel. Serve with a sprinkle of salt. **
Notes
