How to Make Sweet Potato Fries with an Easy Southwest Dipping Sauce

When I'm in a restaurant, I often order sweet potato fries since I enjoy the sweet and savory blend of flavors. When I found this recipe in the Hope's Table cookbook that we carry at Good's Store, I decided to try making some myself.

Download a printable copy of the recipe here.

Sweet Potato Fries

4 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lb), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch fries

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Place fries in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Add canola oil, close bag, and flip bag over and until fries are evenly coated in oil.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle into bag. Repeat flipping progress until fries are evenly coated with the seasoning mixture. Evenly space fries on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (Make sure fries aren't touching. If they are too close together, they will steam instead of roast, resulting in soggy fries.) Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping the fries halfway through. Oven times may vary, just bake until the fries are soft inside and crispy on the outside. Dip in Southwest Dipping Sauce.

Southwest Dipping Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon paprika

dash salt

In a small bowl, mix together ingredients well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Step-by-Step with Pictures

1. Peel and cut up sweet potatoes. I used one of my Rada knives. 

2. Place fries in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Add canola oil, close bag, and flip bag over and over until fries are evenly coated in oil. 

3. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle into bag. Repeat flipping process until fries are evenly coated with the seasoning mixture.

(I thought about saving the bag and just mixing this in a bowl, but I decided since I was writing a blog post I should follow the recipe as written.)

4. Evenly space fries on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (Make sure fries aren't touching. If they are too close together, they will steam instead of roast, resulting in soggy fries.)

I carefully arranged all the fries so they won't turn into mashed sweet potatoes.

 5. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping the fries halfway through. Oven times may vary, just bake until the fries are soft inside and crispy on the outside.

I used two forks to carefully flip the fries one by one, to make sure they were as evenly baked and crispy as possible.

 6. While the fries were baking, I mixed the Southwest dipping sauce in just a few minutes. I substituted Red Wine Vinegar (my favorite) for the white vinegar.

Then I put the sauce in a bowl and surrounded it with the finished fries. The fries were crispy on the outside, and the spices blended perfectly. 

These fries would be an excellent side for sandwiches or burgers, or just eat a big helping for a Sunday evening supper!

For more delicious and practical recipes, find Hope's Table cookbook here.