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Yam / Sweet Potato Fries


sgfrank

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Hello,

I am a big fan of yam fries in general, and usually do them tossed in oil then baked in the oven, perhaps lightly spiced. However, I am looking for a new way to prepare these, ie deep fried. Can I treat them the same as normal fries? How do deep fried yam fries turn out? Is a two stage fry preferable, as with regular fries? Anyone tried this before?

Thanks,

Simon

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I have successfully double-fried yams at home. Cut like potato chips and single fried works nicely, and quickly as well.

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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Hi Simon,

I think that it certainly depends on the cut of the sweet potatoes. A really thin cut (like a chip, shoestring, or julienne cut) would require a single fry at 375 or so. Something thicker, IMHO, would require a double fry; first at 325, and then at 375.

Just my two cents. Does anybody else have thoughts?

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I wouldnt fry sweet potatoe fries...I would just cut em in fry shape, toss in some EVOO, S&P, maybe some Cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg, and bake till crispy.

The spices really work well with the yam's natural sweetness.

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Thanks for all the replies. I do enjoy the fries baked, but was just looking for something new. One problem I have with baking is that the fries often stick to the pan a bit, so when a toss them around partway through their bake, and when I take them off at the end, I always end up losing some of that nice crispy 'skin'. Anyone tried baking them on a silpat? Would that help?

Like the idea for cinnamon and nutmeg, will for sure give that a try next time I make them. Traditionally I have leaned more toward the savoury spices on my yam fries - cayenne, cumin, etc.

Thanks again,

Simon

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I wouldn't use a silicone baking mat; it will keep the bottom from crisping against the pan. I've found that I don't even have to worry about flipping them around or over and when they're done they release from the pan pretty easy. That side is just a little crispier than the others, but no where burned.

Bryan C. Andregg

"Give us an old, black man singing the blues and some beer. I'll provide the BBQ."

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  • 2 years later...

Every once in a while I have SP fries that are actually crisp and fabulous. Most of the time, including when I make them using traditional potato frying protocol, they are limp.

So what's the secret? Higher temp? Coating them with starch first? A particular type of yam?

Edited by gfweb (log)
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One obvious difference between SP and russets is the sweetness. Sugar is hygroscopic. Perhaps the very nature of SPs predisposes to limp fries because of hydration.

I need a starch chemist consult ASAP.

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Good question. When I've made them myself, I've never gotten them really crisp - though slicing them very thin and soaking in cold water before frying yields a very crisp chip.

A few weeks ago I had some at a burger place, and they were light and crispy and seemed to be coated in some starch. What would you use? Cornstarch?

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Wish I were near a stove.

I'm trapped in the New Orleans Airport Hilton. It was their room service SP fries that prompted my musings. The stuff they served were pretty limp, but not as bad as what I've made.

The most "well done" of their fries were no more crispy than less dark fries, from which I infer that extent of cooking isn't the issue.

I wonder if one could one brine a sweet potato and pull out water prior to frying?

But perhaps water isn't the issue at all....

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Initial observations....

SP fries seem more sensitive to the limpifying effect of the steam that they give off after frying than do russet potatoes. A single layer on paper towel stays crisper than those with a more careless drainage with some fries tossed on top of others.

Cold oil (Robouchon) method- 3/8" cuts got crisper than 5/8" but for me neither was as crisp as those cooked by the two-stage method. Two stage 3/8" fries were the crispest.

Very very thin fries, cut with a julienne peeler, fry quickly and crisply, but lose their sweet potato taste and taste much like potato chips.

Edited by gfweb (log)
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I had fantastic, thick, crispy, soft in the middle SP fries in Vancouver. In more than one restaurant. They tended to get soggier the longer they sat, but I also agree that there seemed to be a starchy coating. They were called yam fries. I may Google that later to see what I can come up with.

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A few months ago I saw a CIA online video showing what looked like a good method for doing SP fries but I can't seem to find it again. I'm sure its still out there somewhere - it involved a batter or coating of some kind, and the chef was Swedish.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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^Hmmmm. Parboiling/blanching is discussed, and I know of an analogue. Everywhere that I have had fried yuca, it has been precooked by boiling until tender, then it is fried. This is how I was taught to do it in Venezuela. It doesn't even require deep frying if it is parboiled - pan frying will do. It has always been crispy on the outside while retaining the nice, soft, dense texture on the inside. Just delicious. Not the same plant (or even the same plant family), but worth a go, I think. I'll give it a try next time I see sweet potatoes in the store. Hopefully, I won't have to wait until Thanksgiving...

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More results-

Starch dredging of a wet SP makes for a crisp tasty fry, but it looks like a frosted flake.

Flour dredging makes for a slightly crisp fry, but still pretty limp.

Starch:four 1:1 is a bit browner than starch alone and is crisp enough, but still frosted looking.

Corn starch:flour:confectioner's sugar 1:3:1 give a pretty brown, reasonably crisp fry. Itis a little sweeter than a regular SP fry, but acceptable to me. Still some refinement is needed.

The starch technique holds crispness and heat for a a good longtime too.

Edited by gfweb (log)
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I buy frozen ones from a wholesaler. They are skinny fries and take about three minutes to cook up. They come out crispy, and stay crispy, yet they are nice and fluffy on the outside. I realize this is cheating, but........

They go really well with Renees Creole Mustard sauce.

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Wish I were near a stove. 

I'm trapped in the New Orleans Airport Hilton.  It was their room service SP fries that prompted my musings.  The stuff they served were pretty limp, but not as bad as what I've made. 

The most "well done" of their fries were no more crispy than less dark fries, from which I infer that extent of cooking isn't the issue. 

 

I wonder if one could one brine a sweet potato and pull out water prior to frying?

But perhaps water isn't the issue at all....

Who knows what the fries were like fresh out of the fryer 20 minutes or more before they arrived at your room, most likely covered to permit the contained steam to wilt any crispness that time, alone, hadn't destroyed.

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

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I buy frozen ones from a wholesaler.  They are skinny fries and take about three minutes to cook up.  They come out crispy, and stay crispy, yet they are nice and fluffy on the outside.  I realize this is cheating, but........

They go really well with Renees Creole Mustard sauce.

Does the packaging list anything other than sweet potatoes in the ingredient list?

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