Can Fries Be Healthy? You Bet! Try These Garlicky Baked Sweet Potato Fries Serve With Spicy Red Pepper Aioli

Garlicky sweet potato fries make a great Super Bowl snack.

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Game Day can be Healthy
I've been working on a few healthy recipes this week for Super Bowl Sunday. I was inspired by the many TV commercials that are pushing their chicken wings, candy, chips, soda, and other crap that is usually associated with watching football. There are so many delicious recipes that you can serve at football parties, I wouldn't think of serving my guests the types of food (and I use the term loosely) I've seen advertised.

Now I'm not suggesting that you pass around kale smoothies or do a group liver cleanse on game day. I'm just saying that there are plenty of fun dishes that you and your family can enjoy without regret. After all, you probably made New Year's resolutions to get back in shape, shed the holiday weight, and take better care of yourself in 2014. It's still January and way too soon to break out the Velveeta Queso dip!

Healthy Fries - an Oxymoron?
It's game day, let's splurge a little with some fries dipped in that delicious, Spicy Red Pepper Aioli I shared with you on Tuesday. But can fries be healthy? Well, maybe not as healthy as a raw salad, but let's say these are much healthier than traditional ones.

By using sweet potatoes rather than russets, you get twice the fiber and tons of vitamin A. Each ounce of the orange spud provide 79% of the daily required vitamin A while russets provide none. 

Baking versus deep frying produces fries with a lot less fat. A four ounce serving of my baked sweet potato fries contain one third the calories and only twenty percent of the fat of regular French fries. Each serving is only 130 calories with only 1/2 gram of saturated fat!

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Garlicky Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]
Requires a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and a large metal cooling rack

1 teaspoon organic cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set a metal cooling rack (that is smaller than the cookie sheet) on top of it. Cooking the potatoes on a rack allows you to cook the fries without turning them.

Mix the cornstarch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl and set aside. Adding a little cornstarch helps the baked fries crisp up.

Cut the sweet potatoes into 3/8 inch fries and place in the bowl. Using your hands, mix until they are completely and uniformly covered with the seasoning.

Mix potatoes with the cornstarch and spices.

Drizzle the oil over the fries and mix them with your hands until they are completely and uniformly covered in oil. Place on the rack leaving enough space between the fries so that they cook evenly.

Place fries on the metal rack over the foil lined cookie sheet.

Place the potatoes in the oven away from the broiling coils. Bake at 425 degrees until they start to brown and look a little caramelized, about 30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli or with ketchup.

A little of this spicy dip goes a long way.

Per serving: 130 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 27 mg omega-3 and 346 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 207 mg sodium.

For additional delicious and health recipe ideas, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen, available on Amazon and iTunes.