Chips, fries, call them what you will. All fries are not created equal. This recipe takes all of the good bits of traditional fries – the starchy veg, the crunch, seasoning – and makes them 10x better for you without sacrifice. There’s no frying, and the carbs in these veg are more complex for more even blood sugar levels.
I am not a massive carrot fan, and so when I used to buy a large bag, I often ended up with them feeling unloved, wrapped in newspaper in the dark bottom drawer. Now that I have made this recipe, they’re the first thing that gets eaten from my market shop.
The peanut sauce is for me the most gorgeous counterpoint to the earthy fries, though I bet they’d be good with ketchup too.
The fries won’t be very crunchy if you crowd them, or cook anything else in the oven.
Carrot and Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 2-3, depending on appetites and what you serve with them
Ingredients
One large sweet potato
3 – 5 carrots
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 230 / 450 / Gas Mark 8
- Cut your potatoes and carrots up. I don’t peel because I don’t believe in peeling fruit & veg… But you can if you want. Resist the urge to cut the potatoes into triangular ‘wedge shapes’ – this leads to blackened edges and soggy bits. Instead, imagine that you are putting your potato through a sharp grid, like they make chips in a chip shop. Chunky chips, about 1.5-2cm wide with 4 sides are what you want. Imagine your carrots in squared-off batons.
- Toss just the potatoes in a bowl with 2/3 of the oil and a good shake of salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking tray, giving them plenty of room on the sheet.
- Cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the carrot sticks in the rest of the oil in the same bowl you coated the poatoes in, and a new shake of seasoning.
- Take your potatoes out, and turn them with a fish slice. Add the carrots to the same tray, still allowing as much room as possible between the batons. If there isn’t enough room, put them on a separate tray.
- Cook for 10-15 more minutes. Ovens and vegetables vary, so keep a close eye on them the first time or you’ll end up with cinders.
Spicy peanut sauce
4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ a garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp honey or agave
A little hot water to loosen
Method
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl using a fork, then add enough water to make it a good dipping consistency for the chips.
Ohhhh yum. These look great! I’ve never had much success making any form of fries – mainly because I’m never quite sure if the oil is hot enough, prematurely dropping the chips into the tepid oil, and inevitably ending up with limp potato sogginess. Oven-baked sounds like a much better idea and carrot and sweet potato makes a nice change too!