Cheezy Baked Sweet Potato Smiley Fries Recipes

THE BEST BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Steps:

• Slice your sweet potatoes into long, thin strips, about 1/4-inch wide. It's important that the fries are uniformly sized for even cooking. Add the fries to a large bowl of cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight).
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets*) with parchment paper, or mist with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Drain the fries, rinse out and dry your bowl of water, then blot dry the fries with a clean towel.
• Add the fries back to the clean bowl.* Then drizzle evenly with the olive oil, and toss until they are evenly coated.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper until combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bowl of fries, then toss until the fries are evenly coated and the cornstarch has soaked into the oil.
• Spread the fries out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Be sure that the fries aren't overlapping, or else they will not cook evenly.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove pan from oven, and take the time to flip each fry with a spatula. Rearrange so that the fries are evenly spaced and not overlapping again. Then bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the fries are crispy and have begun to brown a bit on the tips.
• Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack, sprinkle with your desired amount of salt, then let the fries rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

CHEEZY BAKED SWEET POTATO SMILEY FRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet for one hour or until easily pierced through with a fork and skin is easily removed. Leave oven at the same temperature to use later. Let roasted sweet potatoes stand for a few minutes until easy to handle and no longer steaming. When cooled sufficiently, peel off skin and drain excess liquid or pat dry as much as possible.
• Put soft, roasted, peeled potatoes in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add all the rest of the ingredients for the dough and mix together until a dough forms. Transfer to refrigerator and let cool for at least 1 hour.
• In the meantime, mix together ingredients for "parmesan" bread crumb coating and place aside in a bowl.
• If dough is still too sticky or difficult to work with, add more arrowroot powder 1 tbsp at a time. Take rounded heaping tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, and flatten into a thick disc. Press both sides into bread crumb mixture and transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If desired, spray oil onto parchment paper. Use a straw to punch two "eyes" into the discs and the tip of a spoon to make a rounded smile. If desired, spray on top with oil as well.Bake smiles at 425 for 30-40 minutes, until slightly browned. Let cool and serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

OVEN BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Steps:

• Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.
• Place sweet potatoes and soybean oil in large bowl, toss lightly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
• Arrange potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd.
• Bake until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally. Cooking time is 18 to 24 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.