Sweet Potato Fries - 3 ways

When searching for a nutritious and delicious side dish that both the hubs and I could enjoy alongside our 10 month old, sweet potatoes immediately came to mind.  I mean really - have you ever met a baby that doesn't love sweet potatoes?  They're a pretty common first veggie, and my son fell in love with them at first bite.  And now that our little man is eating what mommy and daddy are eating, sweet potato fries were an obvious choice for a regular side dish. 

In hopes of exposing my son to more flavors, I prepared these sweet potato fries 3 different ways.  It was a bit of a taste test experiment sort of deal.  Go figure, he loved all 3 ways and didn't seem to care whether they were coated with the ordinary salt and pepper or a combination of a few random spices.  But in case your child is a picky eater, this is an easy veggie side dish to try as a means for introducing new spices and flavor combinations, so get creative!  Pumpkin pie spice, chinese five spice, garam masala, cajun seasoning...the sky's the limit.  Just peel and cut 3 sweet potatoes into sticks, and then toss them in your desired spices with a little bit of oil.  Below are just 3 of the ways I chose to prep them this week.  Which one do you think you or your little one will like best?

Tip:  I peeled and cut the potatoes into sticks one day, and then time got away from me (anyone else have that problem?), so I just put them in a container and covered them in cold water until I was ready to use them.  After draining them and patting them dry, they were perfectly crisp and ready to go even after 3 days sitting in the cold water.  That being said, this would be a perfect veggie side dish to prep on a Sunday and have ready to go for a quick weeknight side.  My 10 month old devoured them for dinner one night and lunch the next.  The hubs and I enjoyed every last bit of them as well.

Sweet Potato Fries - 3 Ways

#1 - Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into sticks


• 1 Tablespoon olive oil


• kosher or sea salt


• freshly ground black pepper

#2 - Ingredients (inspired by this yummy recipe)

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into sticks


• 1 Tablespoon olive oil


• 1/1 teaspoon garlic salt


• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder


• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

#3 - Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into sticks


• 1 Tablespoon olive oil


• 1/4 teaspoon cumin


• 1/4 teaspoon coriander


• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven and baking sheet to 450 degrees.


2. For each "way", combine oil and spices in a medium sized bowl.  Toss sweet potato fries in the oil and spice mixture until well coated.


3. Spread all 3 prepared sweet potato fries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Flip, and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until they are lightly browned).  Total baking time is approximately 25-30 minutes.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

*Inspired by Simply Recipes.