Sweet Potato Fries -- Who Likes These Things?
At Serious Eats, we have a little repository of links we call "The Link Garden." During the course of the day, when someone, anyone, on the SE staff sees something good to blog about but doesn't have time to do it, they "seed" the Link Garden with it. This musing on sweet potato fries by Houston food writer Robb Walsh was one of the seeds planted yesterday, and I volunteered enthusiastically to "water" it.
You see, I hate sweet-potato fries.
"What? You hate sweet potatoes?" Erin asked in follow-up when my comment appeared in the Link Garden.
"No, I like sweet potatoes—and will likely be eating them on the 27th. I hate sweet-potato fries."
It's like this—have you ever heard of palate fatigue? Wine lovers experience it, and über fancy-pants chef Thomas Keller serves small plates at his restaurants French Laundry and Per Se in order to avoid it. Says Keller, "With any food we start with the impact of flavor. The more you have the less you taste."
It's like the law of diminishing returns. But in your mouth.
See, I will grudgingly admit that sweet-potato fries are tasty—for about three fries into the basket. After that, palate fatigue sets in. Maybe because the tubers are so sweet. I don't know.
Offsetting any initial (and marginal) tastiness, however, are these facts:
After you've had your fun you're left with a honkin' basket of these things because, for some reason, they're always served in gigantic portions. (See photo, above.)
Add to that the fact that nobody seems to know how to properly fry these things. They're always, always super greasy. (See photo, above.)
And they're always burnt. (See photo, above.)
And they're never crisp. (That's not evident in the photo above, but, trust me, those sweet-potato fries up there are limp and soggy.)
To recap, a basket of sweet-potato fries is too much of a greasy, flavorless, burnt, flaccid thing.
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81 Comments:
Hmmmm....the place we eat at most has fries that I don't care for. When I want a fry, I want a deep-fried real potato, uncoated, unbattered, and unseasoned except for salt. However, their sweet potato fries are more like what their regular fries should be. So on the rare occasions that I order something with fries there, I'll get the sweet potato ones. And no, I can never finish all they give me. No big deal. If there's something else left, they can come along for the ride. If not, they go away.
dbcurrie at 9:13PM on 11/05/08
I have had them twice, and I love them. There's a place here in Austin, Kerbey Lane Cafe, and they make deliciously crispy sweet potatoes fries. They serve them with ranch dressing. NOM NOM NOM.
JigsawJones at 9:16PM on 11/05/08
When they're bad, they're really, really bad, but when they're good.... I've just had an incredible basket of perfectly fried, perfectly crisp, non greasy, and salted-just-right (to avoid the palate fatigue from too much one-note sweetness) sweet potato fries -- served piping hot at Maxie's Supper Club in Ithaca =)
onedaylingers at 9:19PM on 11/05/08
Aha - I see. Coincidentally I made oven-baked sweet potato fries last night, but I mixed in a nice Idaho Russet for "normal" fries too. Co-mingled they were delightful, and that probably avoided the palate fatigue of which you speak. I baked them at high-heat in a single layer in my convection oven, tossed with olive oil and kosher salt, and flipping (carefully!) once to get both sides crisp. Not super greasy. Not burnt. And yes, crisp! Yummers!
funchefchick at 9:22PM on 11/05/08
As the saying goes in my house - you've been eating bad sweet potato fries. Too many, too greasy, burnt, limp and too sweet.....that's now how they should be.
Good sweet potato fries, like good fries, are crisp, light, fluffy on the inside and happy, salty goodness with a bit of sweet to it.
ccbweb at 9:23PM on 11/05/08
i'm with you adam. to me they're right up there with raisins as things that have no business being on the planet.
cybercita at 9:30PM on 11/05/08
It's important to season them right, so they don't taste too bland. Garlic, chipotle powder, parsley, whatever. Salt, of course. And they do go well with non-ketchup dips. But, just because they're there, I'll plow through a whole basket of them regardless.
emilydev at 9:38PM on 11/05/08
I don't care much for regular fries, but I love sweet potato fries.
buffy at 9:42PM on 11/05/08
The place we go to serves them and they are excellent all the way to the last fry. Perhaps it is in the preparation, the oil used, the temp of the fryer. Who knows!
kuromu at 10:01PM on 11/05/08
I agree with Buffy. I'm not a fan of regular fries and I have never had a deep fried sweet potato fry, but I love the ones I make in my oven. I think the burnt ones are best!
codasco at 10:01PM on 11/05/08
I totally agree, Adam. Not only do I hate sweet potatoes, I think sweet potato fries are just POSEURS.
French fried potatoes should be French fried potatoes, NOT French fried SWEET potatoes.
Leave the sweet potatoes in the casserole with the honey, marshmallows and pecans.
Let the REAL potatoes do their duty, in the fryer basket, and under the salt shaker.
hungryinhouston at 10:15PM on 11/05/08
Hate, hate, hate sweet potato fries. Love sweet potatoes in other forms. I think it has something to do with the salty / greasy / sweet combination, which is just a little much. Also, they are most likely to be seasoned than "normal" fries. For some reason, seasoning on fries drives me nuts. On wedged, fried potatoes? Sure, bring it on. But not on French Fries, which should be unadulterated plain potato, fat, and salt.
Lilly at 10:22PM on 11/05/08
sweet potato fries are the reason i first started liking sweet potatoes! more proof that if you fry something (or wrap it in bacon) i will eat it.
midgepingleton at 10:30PM on 11/05/08
I also make them in my convection oven - never greasy, always crispy, never burnt, and we never have enough:-). I drizzle them with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (cumin and/or smoked paprika may be used on occasion). We dip them in either malt or balsamic vinegar - no palate fatigue whatsoever! When I first made them, several years ago, my OH was actually hesitant to try them, as he was convinced he hated sweet potatoes. He now requests that I make them!
That said, I doubt I would order sweet potato fries when eating out or buy them from a fast food place (do they even have SPF at fast food places? Hmm).
brooke29 at 10:33PM on 11/05/08
Not a big fan of the fries for most of the reasons others also seem to share. (but love other sweet potatoes)
brooke29: those sound like a wonderful preparations; now just replace the sweet potatoes with regular potatoes, and I'm on board.
cybercita: slamming raisins... wow! might as well slam things like, oh I don't know... maybe coffee, wine, chocolate. You know, nothing important. Raisins, and other dried fruits are crucial. ;-)
beeee at 11:07PM on 11/05/08
I learned the secret to crispy sweet potato fries on SE. Once they've been oven roasted to the desired doneness, turn the oven to 200 and leave them another 20 minutes. Removes any residual moisture and they are crispy and delicious. I don't deep fry anything.
PerkyMac at 11:20PM on 11/05/08
If you make your own sweet potato fries you may think them much better. You photo looks very ... well like you described it. But it is also NOTHING like my own creation. I bake them and make melted honey-butter to dip them in and one nice potato goes for about 3 - 4 people. And soggy is not part of the equation. Nor are dull coatings.
jdshd at 11:30PM on 11/05/08
@ PerkyMac: Thanks for this tip! I will definitely give this a try the next time I make sweet potato fries. Possibly tomorrow. :)
gnats at 11:38PM on 11/05/08
The sweet potato fries at Taylor's Refresher (in Napa and SF's Ferry Building) are quite good, and never burnt or greasy.
furlinedteacup at 11:47PM on 11/05/08
Whew! Just checked in after a computer-free night, saw there were 19 comments, and thought I'd be raked over the coals for dissing SPF in my "Adam Rooney" moment. Nice to see the varying opinions here. Maybe the oven-roasted kind PerkyMac describes would work better. And we just linked to a recipe for them on the Pinch My Salt blog. Oven-roasting them PerkyMac's way would take care of a couple of my complaints.
Adam Kuban at 12:38AM on 11/06/08
Sweet potatoes are completely worthless...unless made into sweet potato fries. Even then, they have to be done perfectly or they're just a mess (as you described above). Properly done sweet potato fries are wonderful...anything less belongs in the garbage with the rest of the sweet potato dishes.
bwbollom at 1:01AM on 11/06/08
Horrible!
dcschaub at 1:13AM on 11/06/08
I have to agree with BWBollom. I've never met a food I didn't like, until I had sweet potatoes. For some reason, out of all the strange vegetables and fruits in the world, the sweet potato is the only one I don't like. Even sweet potato casserole is a turn-off for me. But if they're deep fried, and maybe with a bit of cajun seasoning, I'll eat 'em.
Tally at 1:21AM on 11/06/08
I always hated the sugary, sweet potato muck served at Thanksgiving. It wasn't until the sweet potato fry that I welcomed this wonderful root vegetable into my life. I find the best way to prepare them is to give hand-cut fries a drizzle of olive oil; then toss with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and cayenne. I roast them in a hot oven, then crisp them up in the broiler just before they're done. I'm old fashioned, I dip in ketchup.
ekrenek at 1:53AM on 11/06/08
Many places do a poor job, but Small Bar here in Chicago (N. Albany location, not W. Division) makes good sweet potato fries. I don't even think it's so much about the texture/greasiness of the fries so much as the dipping sauce.... spicy remoulade. Fantastic.
However, got them at another bar in the neighborhood (which shall remain nameless) and they were served with.... honey. Needless to say, being used to eating with another condiment my friends and I were all shocked and appalled by the honey.
And forget them with ketchup; ketchup is a plain fry-only condiment.
Odd to see so much hate for the sweet potato fries. Do these people only eat broccoli in stir-fry? Green beans in casserole? Cabbage in cole slaw?
anysuchname at 2:00AM on 11/06/08
I love sweet potatoes especially in the form of crisp fries. I concur with @JigsawJones - I'm an Austinite who enjoys Kerbey Lane's sweet potato fries except I like mine with a side of spicy chipotle sauce. My husband, who usually avoids sweet potatoes, will eat sweet potato fries as long as there is some condiment to smother the taste. I told my husband that if we ever have children, I would coerce them into eating sweet potato fries by calling them "Longhorn" (as in University of Texas burnt orange) fries.
Esmeralda at 2:40AM on 11/06/08
At T.G.I. Fridays they serve one of the recipe-winning dishes with sweet potato fries and they are actually prepared quite well. They are more cut into thick steak fries, though. I avoid the palate fatigue by alternating dipping them into the dip they give you for the chicken dish (Aji Pepper sauce) and a requested side of their Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. Sweet potato fries are actually quite fantastic with the BBQ sauce!
Tahitinova at 2:54AM on 11/06/08
@Adam, yer facts be askew. The restaurant I work with serves a Raspberry Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Pork Rib entree with a small (20 - 25 fries) batch of hand-cut sweet potato fries on the side. They're not soggy at all, and are light and crisp.
Obviously ya' just need some good eats. ;-)
LunaPierCook at 4:15AM on 11/06/08
It suddenly occurred to me that I have had sweet potato fries only once and disliked them. I like sweet potatoes, plain, baked, with salt and nothing else. But the sweet potato fries I had, after the frying, were TOO sweet. I think the oil intensifies the flavors of the potato too much.
It's one of those dishes that SOUNDS much better than it is, possibly.
HOWEVER, I do think that the prevalence of bad sweet potato fries might be that restaurants that don't make lots of fries usually serve them as novelty dishes and never get really good at them.
HeartofGlass at 5:30AM on 11/06/08
I'm the opposite of a lot of folks - I don't like sweet potatoes but I love sweet potato fries. I recommend the ones from Moe's Deli in Montreal - they are great!
Maureen at 6:34AM on 11/06/08
At work, our cafeteria bakes all fries - regular and sweet potato. It's pretty good until some moron salts the damn things...then it totally throws it off. WTF.
Cassaendra at 7:38AM on 11/06/08
I make mine just like Perky said, SO and I who will not touch the noxious sweet potato casserole with honey and marshmellows, Love these things. We do however love sweet potatos in general, just not tarted up with goopy stuff. Even my sp pie is just some eggnog, (sweet i know but it is a pie) and nutmeg and a little cinnamon. I may have to try mixing them with standard taters for something a little different in the oven fry dept. ;-)
huneybumper at 8:00AM on 11/06/08
I have to agree with Maureen - not a sweet potato fan, but love the fries. I've ordered them many times from many places and only few ever get them right. Crispy, not greasy, and usually with some savory spices - or ones I had in Vancouver not too long ago with chili and cumin. Mm.
Taliskan at 8:58AM on 11/06/08
love sweet potatoes, had sweet potato fries.
carriebwc at 9:03AM on 11/06/08
@PerkyMac: I agree, SPF done right in the oven are delicious. I've never made them fresh, though, I usually get 'em frozen at Trader Joe's. Similar to when eating regular fries, I eat SPF with more than one dipping sauce. Maybe this is why I haven't experienced the palate fatigue? My favorite sauces are Kewpie mayo-chipotle and Kewpie mayo-dijon. Eating BBQ sauce or ketchup with SPF is cloying to me.
And, Adam, you're right about there being a custom of serving SPF super greasy in large quantity. Uncle Sam's Subs, here in PGH, serves them that way. Love their subs, but not a big fan of their SPF for this reason.
Susquehanna at 9:26AM on 11/06/08
Sweet potato french fries are one of the few ways that I even like sweet potatoes! The BBQ place near me serves them with a spicy maple sauce, just to make them even sweeter. A good foil for BBQ, though.
jd7979 at 9:39AM on 11/06/08
Blech.
sarahbeam at 9:41AM on 11/06/08
I LOVE sweet potato fries, but they definitely have to be done right (there's a lot of bad fries in general in this world). I've had quite a few light and crispy ones in my time, though-- I think your trial run track record is just lousy. Find some good ones!
Laurel E at 9:45AM on 11/06/08
I adore sweet potato fries! but like regular fries, if they aren't good, they aren't good. Zen Palette has made some pretty tasty ones in the past, but since the closing of the Union Square location, I haven't bothered to see if the others carry them.
Linnea Covington at 9:56AM on 11/06/08
Well, I do like sweet potato fries - but only when they are well made. Criteria: crisp outside, creamy inside, good flavor, and a hint of spice. The first time I had the SW fries at Wildwood BBQ in NYC, they were awesome - served hot and crispy, with a light dusting of chile powder that made my day. The second time - cold, bland and just overall awful. I do love the usually-crisp SW fries at EJ's luncheonette . . .
Basically, if they are made/served well, they'll be great. If not, then they'll be just as disappointing as bad plain fries. And that can be pretty bad . . .
susanl73 at 10:08AM on 11/06/08
Funny that you are discussing SPF - I just posted a review on Fork You Blog of a place in Rhode Island who talked me into the SPF for "a little bit more", all the while assuring me they were crispy. NOT! And a little bit more was actually an additional $2.50.
I think I would love the sweet/salty combination of the SPF if I would ever receive some that are crispy. I can even tolerate the burntness, to a degree. My belief in this notion causes me to continue to order them when I see them on a menu even though I know I will likely be disappointed.
Utz makes some wonderful sweet potato chips that are crispy and non-burnt. Maybe the nice people at Utz could share the secret and help these other folks out.
susan25526 at 10:19AM on 11/06/08
I hate any sweetened application of sweet potatoes - what do they need with added sugar? - but love any savory application, including fried (deep- or oven-). Add some of the following: chipotle powder, regular chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and definitely SALT. There are lots of places to get them in Toronto.
But please keep the brown sugar, marshmallows, etc. away!
wellred at 10:21AM on 11/06/08
Sal and Mookie's in Jackson, MS has the BEST sweet potato fries. They are thin, crispy, and delicious. Seems weird for a pizza place, but it's true.
I ate them after my 10 drive to evacuate for hurricane Gustav. I'm so glad my friend wanted to order them- they were worth it! I might make a special trip to Jackson, just for those fries...
nolasusan at 10:24AM on 11/06/08
@cybercita--I couldn't agree with you more.
I hate sweet potato fries, and I loathe raisin's...ugh
@Tahitinova--Nothing could lure me into a TGI Fridays...especially not a sweet potato fry
CarolynEats at 10:53AM on 11/06/08
Aww...I love sweet potato fries. I don't know if I think of them as 'fries', per se, which might help. Whatever, they're delicious.
Christina at 11:24AM on 11/06/08
Love em!
DJ Dedd at 11:33AM on 11/06/08
This is madness. Sweet potato fries are fantastic. Having grown up in Burlington, VT, it's pretty much a staple offering at almost any restaurant up there.
So Good at 11:36AM on 11/06/08
First, I totally love that application you're showing up there. Whoever designed that is genius! (I clearly work in a boring office where our means of communication is limited to the phones and email, and well, it's not as fun!)
Second, didn't someone just blog yesterday a recipe for sweet potato fries for election snack or something? Those sounded pretty good and weren't fried. I'm not a huge fan of sweet potato in general, but I've had them a couple of times in "fry" form and dipped in salt, pretty good. I've also had them a few times super soggy and I'm like WTF. So. I don't know, I'm neither for or against.
feistyfoodie at 11:40AM on 11/06/08
Zen Palate used to have amazing sweet potato fries...
Phil W. at 11:51AM on 11/06/08
I adore sweet potato fries! Especially served with honey or a homemade honey butter. YUM!
Growing up there was one place that had them and I still go back there every time I’m home just to get them. I’ve been very happy with the recent proliferation of places offering them. It’s nice to go out and grab an order with a nice glass of wine over some good conversation!
Keep the sweet potato fries coming, I say!
darth_kittius at 11:53AM on 11/06/08
When done correctly, i.e. cripsy not soggy and clumpy and overcooked, they are awesome. So are parsnip fries.
simon at 12:07PM on 11/06/08
I love sweet potato fries, but I agree. They have to be perfect. So far the best ones I've found are at Toast in San Francisco, I think they're better than the others due to their particular cut. Rather than being a thick square cut, they're kind of a smaller rectangular cut, which I think keeps them crispy.
chrisr at 1:03PM on 11/06/08
@feistyfoodie: The app above is Basecamp. It's only as fun as the people participating. ;)
Adam Kuban at 1:16PM on 11/06/08
Zen Palate still does have good SPF - unless they've done something to the location at 9th and 50th (?) since June.
DTSSer at 1:36PM on 11/06/08
I LOVE sweet potato fries. I even dig the cheap ones. However, there are some excellent fries at a local spot called Big Sky Cafe- they're light, nicely crisp on the outside, seasoned with just a bit of salt and garnished with lemon zest. SO GOOD.
moineau at 1:54PM on 11/06/08
Ooh, I just moved to Austin and I haven't had the sweet potato fries at Kerbey Lane yet--sounds like I need to soon. There's a Houston chain called Cafe Express that does very respectable fries--it helps that their normal ones are good, too--that are really good with lemon.
Has anyone else had the Alexia frozen sweet potato fries? Also pretty good, especially for people like me who are bad cooks. :D
missmanders at 2:06PM on 11/06/08
I like my sweet potato fries cut into matchstick size, crisp in the oven with a coarse salt and pepper. Crisp, not sweet. Another great variation is to sprinkle with cumin or garam masala.
Thanksgiving means either sweet potato pie (the best ever) or a sweet potato gratin using sage and aged gouda. Savory, not sugary.
ExpatChef at 4:00PM on 11/06/08
I've never had bad sweet potato fries Adam, but I see where you're coming from.
INteresting post...
I can relate to "palate fatigue" I think?
This shanghai resturaunt down the street from me makes the ultimate, most amazingly tasty perfect Spicy Peanut Noodle Soup. Normally I eat super slow to savour--but not with this meal. It's soooooo good.
I crave it all the time and eat it often. But if I order it too often I begin to hate it until I take a break from the stuff. Is that palate fatigue?
hungrychristel at 4:14PM on 11/06/08
I've been disappointed with all the sweet potato fries I've ordered out. But I love oven sweet potato fries so much I make them nearly once a week, and I'm still not fatigued!
Tactful_Cactus at 4:27PM on 11/06/08
I think sweet potato fries are best at a restaurant, when they're hot and crispy and few. I fell in love with them... then learned how BAD they can be when they come out of a freezer bag and are cooked in an oven.
My palate loves them like I love white chocolate/yogurt covered pretzels and kettle corn mixed with plain - it's the combination of the sweet and salty that does it for me.
accidentalartisan at 7:35PM on 11/06/08
I been a bit busy lately so I haven't been able to get my daily dose of Adam's words but now that I have I'm sorry to say that I might have to stop being your friend Adam....I LOVE SWEET POTATO FRIES!
linghuey at 8:44PM on 11/06/08
I just wanted to chime in and say that I LOVE sweet potato fries. For me it's hit-and-miss when I make them in the oven, but I'm usually not disappointed if I have it at a restaurant.
(Come to Canada!)
Vincci at 8:46PM on 11/06/08
@linghuey: I think we can reach across the aisle on this one.
Adam Kuban at 10:52AM on 11/07/08
Flaccid, insipid, never crunchy on the outside, never fluffy on the inside sweet potato fries. It is such a disservice to the sweet potato.
It just wants to be baked in its own skin until its spitting sugar and then given a little pat of butter.
Soigne at 11:50AM on 11/07/08
I never liked them until I had them CRISPY at a restaurant in Longmont Colorado. YUMMMM. Now I can't get enough. Prefer them to regular fries even!!
rckymtn1 at 5:25PM on 11/07/08
hmmm, I never really thought about it, but Adam, you're right, I've never had a batch of great sweet potato fries. I have had sweet potato chips that were pretty crunchy, but again nothing I crave...not like a hot order of frites served in a paper cone.
wookie at 2:57PM on 11/08/08
I LOVE great sweet potato fries!! I make my own sometimes, cut fairly thin, and either fried in grapeseed or peanut oil, or coated with one of those and baked in a hot oven. I 'garnish' them with ginger salt, which I make by grating fresh ginger into sea salt, tossing about for a bit, then sprinkling on the fries. I make mashed sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving...(I can't ABIDE the nasty marshmallow ones) by baking the potatoes unwrapped in the oven till soft, cooling slightly till I can peel them, adding a bit of butter, fresh orange juice, orange zest and grated ginger and freshly ground white pepper. I also LOVE them simply baked as Soigne outlines above. I add a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper to finish them off. I eat them at least twice a week during the 'season'. They go so well, however they are prepared, with pork and chicken and any kind of barbecue. I'll even have a large one baked as an entire meal. I don't understand anyone who doesn't like sweets, probably they got turned off by the marshmallow goop served at many Thanksgiving dinners. (Kinda like how people hate Brussels Sprouts, since they've only ever had them over-boiled from frozen.)
Carolina de Witte at 4:01AM on 11/09/08
I've never cared for SP fries but at my cafe we make sweet potato hash browns which are quite yummy (and mega popular). We shred them and dust them with flour, cinnamon, and ceyanne pepper.
WannabeTVchef at 9:28AM on 11/10/08
1) Make them YOURSELF.
2) Make them in an oven.
I love them.
HelloChris at 9:33AM on 11/10/08
I prefer sweet potato chips myself. With Guacamole as served at West End Tavern in Boulder, CO.
katarina_santiago at 9:42AM on 11/10/08
Maybe I have been lucky in having sweet potato fries that are hot and crisp, not soggy and greasy. But I like my fries with vinegar, and sweet potatoes have that extra bit of flavour that stands up to it better than white potatoes. So if you get a chance, make proper fries at home, using sweet potatoes, and sprinkle with malt or cider vinegar and salt. THEN decide.
When I eat out, I pretty much never get fries of any kind because I don't like them. But I do like them when I make them, because I get them right.
Another idea, as HelloChris suggested - do them in the oven. Cut the sweet potatoes into frylike shapes, toss with just a smidge of oil, and bake in a very hot oven until the insides are soft. When I do them this way I sprinkle with chili powder (sometimes homemade) for a lovely extra punch. Or bake them plain and sprinkle with chili-salt instead of plain salt when they are out of the oven. Not quite the same crispy as fried, but pretty good and fine for those wanting less oil in the diet.
morgancain at 10:22AM on 11/10/08
I love sweet potato fries! If they are done right, they can be very crisp, not greasy or burnt.
danimal898 at 10:54AM on 11/10/08
Extensive discussion of SPF, many by professionals
http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/31088-sweet-potato-fries.html
Great site, too if you don't know it already
MikeLM at 11:47AM on 11/10/08
I love sweet potato fries! I do agree that if you bake them (I like to use a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet, toss the wedges or fries in a little olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder) they tend to turn out best (in my opinion). The garlic and pepper gives them more of a bite that might alleviate any excessive sweetness. Paired with a spicy mayo dipping sauce these fries are absolutely delicious!
I just recently had sweet potato chips and these were definitely better than their white-potato counterparts...they weren't greasy, very lightly seasoned and SUPER crispy. I think I am going to try to make chips next...
decemberain27 at 12:24PM on 11/10/08
YUM - I love sweet potato fries! I've only had them at a tapas place by my house and they have always been crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and definitely not greasy. They serve them with a great dipping sauce too! My only complaint is that the serving size is way too small for people to share, think McD's average size fries serving...
ddvierra68 at 1:56PM on 11/10/08
Most sweet potato fries I've had have been boring and forgettable. But there is this one bar....
My boyfriend and I will go here for lunch on occasion, and usually end up just splitting an order of their Boudreaux fries. What are Boudreaux fries, you ask? Copied straight from the menu: "Sweet Potato fries with Roast Beef Debris, topped with Bleu Cheese Crumbles, sugar & spice pecans and golden raisins."
And Oh. These are so incredible.
nightowl at 3:08PM on 11/10/08
LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potato fries!!!
caramel at 7:11PM on 11/10/08
Take the "greasy-ones" home and re-do 'em! Sprinkle with something delicious such as rosemary and a bit of garlic OR, make them into a curry...I hate waste!
snowmoonelk at 3:48AM on 11/11/08
The only time I have ever had sweet potato fries was at the Galaxy Cafe in Austin, TX. They were absolutely wonderful. I guess you just have to find a place that knows the secret.
picnik04 at 12:08AM on 11/12/08
One comment I did not see is that, for a diabetic like me, regular potato fries are a no-no (what with the high glycemic index of potatos). However, sweet potato fries are actually tolerable from a blood-sugar perspective. Something to keep in mind...
transposition at 7:27PM on 01/23/09
Have you ever had them with honey and melted butter? You might feel differently.
maxcriden at 4:28PM on 02/16/09