Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Making sweet potato fries from scratch at home is fun and economical. Not sure where to start? These hints will help you make perfectly baked fries every time.

1. Smaller is better. Smaller sweet potatoes are easier to handle when cutting, so look for ones that are about 4-inches long. If you can only find large sweet potatoes, look for long tubular ones that can be sliced into roughly 4-inch halves.

2. Hand cut to perfection. When it comes to cutting sweet potatoes into fry shapes, doing it by hand is the best way to go. While there are fry cutters out there, the hard-fleshed sweet potatoes don't work well with them. (Trust me. I’ve broken my share of cutters trying to find an easier way to cut sweet potatoes into fries!)

3. Safety first. The best way to cut sweet potatoes is to slice them in half lengthwise first. This will give you a flat, stable surface to place on the cutting board and will make slicing much easier. Be sure to use a very sharp and sturdy long knife.

4. Crispy not soggy. When it comes to baking sweet potato fries, you need to bake them past the point of being tender. If you remove them from the oven when they are just tender, the fries will be limp and soggy. But bake a little longer and the side facing down will crisp up and some of the moisture will evaporate.

5. Don’t forget the salt! No matter what other seasonings you use on sweet potato fries, a sprinkle of salt is a necessary addition because it brings out the flavor.

6. Everyone loves dipping sauce. For sweet potato fries, the standard ketchup or barbecue sauce is fine. But if you want to step it up a little, try honey mixed with a little minced chipotle peppers. Buttermilk ranch or blue cheese salad dressings can be fabulous, too.