I think just psychologically my body needs more carbs in winter than the rest of the year. I am a pretty clean eater but every once in a while I love indulging in something bad. Oh, and the husband is overjoyed on those days, especially when there are fries or hand-cut chips at home. It’s a delight for him and I make it delightful for myself by making it just that much healthier (hint: swap the potato for the sweet potato and you got yourself some sweet Sweet Potato Fries)
It is definitely something you can try various ways – deep-fried, pan-fried, baked, roasted, the list really can go on. But I’ll be honest guys, ever since we have moved to Mumbai, I haven’t had the chance to buy a new oven (oops) so I find my way around things. LOL.
One time the husband was craving fries and was almost about to buy the frozen ones (I despise those). So I decided to sneak in these ones and boy, were they a hit! While the only difference between fries and chips is that fries are really thin cut and chips are what you’d get at a fish and chip stand in England – thick, hand-cut, chunky and super filling.
After I had tried the fries a couple of times I was ready to give the ol’ chips a try. I am so glad I did because they turned out amazing. Perfectly crispy on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside. The trick to this is to par-boil the sweet potatoes first, as opposed to fries, you would just cut them thin and fry directly. Because of the way they are cut, they cook much quicker.
Ingredients:
- Sweet Potato – large, 1 (cut into 1 inch wide thick pieces)
- Garlic powder – 1.5 teaspoons
- Paprika – 1 teaspoon
- Dried herbs – 1 teaspoon
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Canola oil or any frying oil – 1/2 cup
* Cheeky tip – you can also use garlic bread seasoning powder if you have it, makes life easier 😉
Method:
Take your hand-cut chips and parboil them in rolling, boiling water (add some salt to the water). You do not want to cook the chips through to the end, about 2 minutes is good enough for chips worth one large sweet potato.
Strain the chips out on a kitchen paper and pat them dry.
In a flat pan, add your oil and bring it up to the heat. Make sure the oil is not scalding hot – a good trick is to hot your palm about the pan and when you start feeling the warmth you can go ahead and fry. Another trick is to place a wooden chopstick into the oil, and when you start seeing bubbles around it, it’s good to go.
Fry the chips for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. The oil should be on slightly higher than medium heat – when you put the chips in the heat should be high. That’s what gives the crispy exterior to the fries.
Once they are fried, drain the oil and put your chips on a clean, dry kitchen paper. In another bowl mix all your dry rub ingredients. Toss the chips in and make sure all of them get a bit of the spice.
You are ready to serve! Serve with any spicy sauce you like – I love a chipotle mayo dip with these. A spicy dip works because Sweet Potato Chips are slightly sweet so you need a hot sauce to cut that.
Enjoy!!
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