tahini honey sweet potato fries

My spice tolerance has been on its way up for the past few months.  I’ve even been caught with a bottle of hot sauce in my hands on multiple occasions.  My sister in law Natalie would be so proud.  She uses cayenne pepper like I use salt.

Besides a little heat, I’m really digging the sweet + spicy combo. 

When it comes to sweet potatoes, I can’t ever decide if I want to go for a sweet or savory topping.  My sweet topping is usually coconut butter or honey + butter.  My savory topping is usually almond butter, salt + butter, or a sunny side up egg + salt.  Typically, I divide my pile of potatoes straight down the center, topping one half with a sweet combination and the other half savory.

But with this recipe there’s no need to split your pile.

What we have here is a little sweet, a little savory, and a nice kick of spice.

Do you mind if we change the subject from food to photography for one minute?  Check out the 2 photos below.

This photo was take with side light coming in from a window to the left and white matte board, used as a light bounce, to the right.

If I turn myself 90 degrees clockwise, I’m now working with front light instead of side light.  Look at the impact one small move has on the photo!  I kept the white matte board in the same position, so it was bouncing light to the back of the fries.

Print this!

Tahini Honey Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 servings

• 1 lb sweet potato, sliced ~1/4” thick
• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 Tablespoon safflower oil
• 1.5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne [optional]

1. Preheat your oven to 375* and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper [optional].
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, honey, oil, vinegar, salt, and cayenne [if using].
3. Pour the sliced potatoes in and toss until well coated.
4. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little more salt.
5. Bake for about 40-45min, until golden brown.  Turn fries at 20min and toss once more towards the end.  You may also want to rotate your baking sheet [half way through] to ensure even cooking.

notes:  To make vegan, sub maple syrup instead of honey.  Natural peanut butter or cashew butter can be subbed for tahini.  Feel free to add the cayenne or not.  For best cooking results, slice or cube the potato to about 1/4” thickness.  Check this post, for a fry slicing tutorial. 

My sweet + savory problem has been solved.

Was it incredibly warm where you are this weekend?  There has been a burst of springtime over here, and we definitely soaked it up.  While I’m still hoping to get out on the snowboard at least once more, it was great to get back on our bikes for a long ride.  The indoor bike trainer was starting to become a bit monotonous.  The dogs were walked, breweries were biked to, Bezzerwizzer was played, and late night delivery was scarfed. 

Chris also built our first ever raised garden bed today.  More details on that to come!  We’re currently looking for good seed sources and deciding what all to plant.  I’m really hoping I take after my father’s green thumb!

Ashley

sweet taters + beer

After last week’s post on Beer Baked Fries, I had numerous questions asking if you can sub sweet potato fries.

You ask, I answer.

I figured you could, but why not test it out.  First you will need 2 ginormous sweet potatoes.  This spud literally weights 1.5lbs!

With their odd shape, they are a bit trickier to cut.  Here’s how I go about it…

1. Cut in half.

2. Cut in half again, lengthwise.  So now you have 4 quarters.  Turn 1 quarter on it’s side and make 3 lengthwise cuts.  Repeat 3 more times.

4.  Lay the quarters flat.  Then make fry sized cuts, perpendicular to the original slices.

Not too bad right?  And they definitely do not have to be perfect!

I wanted to use a heavier beer, with a lot of flavor.  I chose Moose Drool brown ale, as browns are one of my favorite types of beer.  I thought this would add a nice malty, sweetness to the fries.

Time for a beer bath!

For this version, I used garlic, salt, pepper, sunflower oil and also threw on some fresh chopped rosemary.  Rosemary + garlic are a fabulous pair, as are rosemary + sweet potatoes.  I figured, I couldn’t go wrong.

Definitely been on quite the garlic kick lately!

The fries were the center of attention for this meal.  No veggie burgers, no beer grilled tofu, just eaten alongside a huge salad.

• local romaine
• carrots
• cucumber
• roasted red pepper
• black beans
• garden herb dressing

Now, how did I enjoy this dinner?  Or, whom did I enjoy it with?

Chris was out climbing, and Eric is out of town, so I called Kelsey and invited her over for beer fries + salad. 

Classy.

She came running, er…biking, right over!

Meal of the week!

Sweet Potato Beer Fries [serves 4-6]

• 3lbs sweet potatoes
• 1 bottle of brown ale beer
• 3T sunflower oil [or olive, etc..]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1t salt
• black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425*
2. Scrub potatoes, and cut per instructions above.  leave the skins on.
3. In a large bowl, soak the cut fries, in 1 bottle of beer.
4. Let soak for 15min, tossing 1-2x.
5. Drain beer and toss with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt + pepper, until well coated.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment [optional, but nice for quick clean up!] and spread the fries, in a single layer on the pan.  Use two pans, if needed.  You don’t want them stacked.
7. Bake for 45min – 1hr, depending on how done you like them, tossing 3-4 times. [Mine were in for about an hour]
8. Add more salt + pepper to your liking.

Unlike the russet beer baked fries, with these you could actually taste the beer!  It wasn’t overpowering at all, but a nice hint of brown ale in the background.  The exterior of the fries crisped well, but as typical with sweet tater fries, they had a creamy interior.  If you’re not looking to taste the beer as much, make sure to drain as much as possible and try using a lighter ale.

Definite success!

Time to do that whole sleep thang.

Night!

Ashley