Karen Wright: The versatile sweet potato has it’s own day

I have been racking my brains trying to remember when it was that I first came across them, I would think it is only in the last twenty years or so.

The sweet potato is a tuber just like a regular potato, but it is a very distant relative of the potato family.

I cook sweet potatoes often, usually I roast them as wedges in the oven or in the air fryer. You can mash them or prepare them in just the same way as you would a jacket potato. They do tend to cook faster than a regular ‘spud’ so the cooking time does need to be adjusted accordingly. I also love to use them with tomatoes and red peppers in a soup, the colour is stunning and the taste is glorious too.

However, I have never made sweet potato fries before. I have seen them on menus in pubs and restaurants and in the freezer aisles at the supermarkets, so I reckon that sweet potato fries must be all the rage. I decided to have a bash at making them and this is what I did.

I did not peel the sweet potatoes, but I cut off both ends and a slice from one side so that I could lay it cut side down on my chopping board. I then cut thin fries with a sharp knife and soaked them in a bowl of cold water to remove as much starch as possible.

I dried them thoroughly and sprinkled them with cornflour before placing them on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. I gave them a liberal spray of oil and then baked them in the oven which was preheated to the hottest temperature.

The fries took a good half an hour to crisp up and take on a bit of colour. When I removed them from the oven, I sprinkled them with salt and served them with ketchup and mayo. As my husband is not keen on sweet potatoes, I also made a batch of regular fries too. The fries were delicious on their own but would also make a great side to a burger, grilled chicken, a piece of fish or whatever takes your fancy!