White potatoes are generally on my “do not eat” list so when my husband wanted fries for dinner I started looking for something that we could both eat. Sweet potatoes were my best option but Joe doesn’t like sweet potatoes. I had to make sure that anything I made with them was wonderfully delicious. At first we tried plain sweet potato fries brushed with an egg wash. They were good but my husband didn’t love them. It was like eating a sweet potato that had been oven roasted in a french fry shape.
I came across a recipe that had parmesan crusted steak fries and thought that the sweetness of a sweet potato and the saltiness of the fresh grated parmesan just might be the perfect combination. I was right. The parmesan gets a great crunchiness in the oven, too, which gives the fries a satisfying texture. When Joe tasted these, he absolutely loved them. In fact, now he requests my parmesan crusted sweet potato fries on a regular basis.
I serve them with a garlic aioli (recipe below) that has been lightened up with a blend of cottage cheese and non-fat plain yogurt. This makes the sauce a little thinner than a traditional aioli, but much better for your waistline. Overall, people actually prefer my lightened version and can’t tell that it’s lower fat. If you’ve never made aioli before make sure to have all your ingredients besides the cottage cheese and yogurt at room temperature to help the mixture emulsify. Add the oil very slowly or the sauce won’t come together and thicken properly. I always err on the side of caution and take my time. I like to use white pepper because it adds flavor without changing the color of the sauce. Use it sparingly, though – it can be potent. Because the sauce contains raw eggs, make it the day you want to use it. Store and leftovers covered tightly in the fridge and eat within 24 hours.
Parmesan Crusted Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 42 large sweet potatoes
2 large egg whites
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper
fresh ground salt or coarse saltPreheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, spray with unflavored baking spray.
Beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Set aside. Chop sweet potatoes into steak fry size pieces. Dip sweet potato pieces into egg whites, gently shaking to remove excess whites. Lightly dip into parmesan cheese on one side only. Set fries on baking sheet with parmesan cheese facing up. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy on the outside but tender when pierced with a fork.
Light Garlic Aioli
Makes 2 cups1 egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard, at room temperature
2/3 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup 2% cottage cheese
¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt
Ground white pepper to taste
Salt to tasteFit food processor with a steel blade and put egg and Dijon mustard into food processor. Process until smooth. Combine oils and then drip slowly into food processor while it’s running. It’s important to incorporate the oil slowly into the egg so that the mixture will emulsify. If the oil is added too quickly the mayonnaise will separate. Add garlic, Dijon, and lemon juice and pulse. Add cottage cheese and yogurt into food processor and mix until absolutely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Linda
posted on June 11, 2009 at 6:40 am
It looks like you have some great recipes here. I want to try these fries. My husband has recently been converted to eating sweet potatoes through Alexia sweet potato fries.
I'd love for you to join us for What's for Dinner Wednesday – a blog carnival I host each week.
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Amy Green
posted on June 11, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi Linda! Thanks for the compliment. I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen working! I am sure your husband will love these fries.
I will most certainly join your blog carnival – thanks for the invite! You have a fabulous site with lots of valuable info.
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cdecocina
posted on December 19, 2009 at 2:38 am
Hi, Amy. Just wanted to say that Aioli is not correct, the right word would be “all-i-oli” or alioli. The meaning is “garlic and oil”, it´s a very popular sauce in Catalonia (and delicious, specially with meat).
Love your blog
Beti
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Doug
posted on December 24, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Those sweet potato sound really tasty.
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Victoria
posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:13 pm
I have to say that these are amazing! I am eating them right now and it seemed at first to be a strange combination, but its incredible! The eggs go crispy with the cheese to add some crunch while still maintaining the sweetness of the potato!
I haven’t had them with the sauce yet either!
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Brandon
posted on September 4, 2010 at 10:06 am
OMG, I never thought of using parmesan for the crust! I am going to make these tonight. Thank you.
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Amy Reply:
September 6th, 2010 at 10:04 am
@Brandon, I hope you love them…they’re a favorite of ours. Hugs.
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Chickiepea's Blog: Eating for Autoimmune Health
posted on January 4, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I saw these months ago and put them on our meal plan for Christmas. We made them twice and loved them! (I did switch it up just a little since our diet is a tad different from yours, but basic idea is the same)
YUM! Thanks for posting this. Even my little one who doesn’t like sweet potatoes, loved them in fry form.
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Amy Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
@Chickiepea’s Blog: Eating for Autoimmune Health, We love them, too! So glad your little one liked them. How did you make them? Please share…always happy to hear another variation.
Hugs,
Amy
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Karen Baird
posted on July 23, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Hi Amy,
Can you tell me the how/why it’s OK to eat raw egg? Just wanted to check on the food safety aspect of that. Thanks. We have sweet potato fries and the garlic dip sounds awesome!
Karen
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Amy Reply:
July 25th, 2011 at 10:44 am
@Karen Baird, When I make this, I serve it the same day. Many preparations use raw eggs – this is a classic recipe that I’ve adapted to make a little healthier. I also don’t serve this to kids, the elderly, anyone who’s pregnant, or anyone with a weakened immune system.
If you don’t want to eat a raw egg, don’t make the recipe. Or, buy pasteurized shell eggs. It won’t work with pasteurized eggs that are in a container.
Hugs,
Amy
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