Julienne Sweet Potato Fries

August 12: National Julienne Fries Day

We posted a recipe for homemade French fries on National French Fries Day on July 13. Instead of regular potatoes, we used sweet potatoes in the recipe below. Although we like crinkle-cut fries, we do not have a fancy cutter so we just cut the potatoes into simple strips. The slicing technique used to describe “shoestring” style or long skinny slices of vegetables (or even meat and fruit) is called “julienne,” a French cooking term. For National Julienne Fries Day, just slice up a sweet potato into thin strips and fry them up for a fast food fix!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1-2 large sweet potatoes
• vegetable oil (for deep frying)
• salt to taste

Directions

Wash, dry and peel the sweet potatoes. Square off the ends by slicing the tapered edges. Julienne them by cutting into thin strips, around 3-inches long and no thicker than ½-inch. Slice off any other curves to make the strips straighter.

Heat the oil in the deep fryer.  Carefully plunge the strips of sweet potatoes in the oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn the fries or overcook them. Drain the fries on paper towels. While still hot, sprinkle salt on them to taste. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces, such as ketchup or garlic mayonnaise (optional).