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I love sweet potato fries. I mean, I love all fries, but sometimes the subtle sweetness of sweet potato fries delivers the perfect change of pace. Unfortunately, good, crispy sweet potato fries are difficult to make well at home. They never turn out as crispy as you’d like, and there’s few things more disappointing than biting into a limp, soggy fry.

The problem is the main way that people make sweet potato fries at home, by baking them in the oven, will never produce a truly crispy end product. You could fry them, of course. That will deliver the crispy outside and soft inside that you’d get from fries at a restaurant, but frying may not be a great choice for you. It’s messy, not very healthy, and it can be dangerous if you’re not careful. Cutting up a sweet potato and throwing them on a baking sheet is much easier and more accessible for most home cooks, so it’s worth doing a little extra work so they come out of the oven and look like something you really want to eat. And thankfully, if you take just a few extra steps, you can get an impressively crispy and well cooked sweet potato fry from your oven.

To be clear, regardless of what you do, baked sweet potato fries will never be as crispy as fried ones. But after reading dozens of recipes from around the internet, I’ve determined that these are the steps that will maximize your chances of getting sweet potato fries at home that aren’t soggy little disappointments.

This may be obvious, but you will want to cut your fries to roughly the same size. It doesn’t have to be exact, but cutting them the same will allow them to cook evenly. I said earlier there are few things more disappointing than a soggy fry, but an undercooked fry with that awful, raw crunch is right there with them. I cut mine anywhere from ¼ to ½ inch thick, and 3-4 inches in length. This step may not help a ton in terms of crispiness, but it will help ensure they’re cooked all the way through.

I was always a little skeptical when I read this in recipes, but it’s essential. Soaking the sweet potatoes removes excess starch, which allows them to crisp up easier. You will want to put them in cold water for at least 30 minutes, but the longer you can go, the better. When they’re done in the tub, make sure to dry them off thoroughly before you toss them in oil and spices.

Cornstarch is a common shortcut ingredient used to beef up textures in different foods. It’s usually used as a thickener for sauces, but in this case it’s just another thing that will help give the sweet potatoes greater crisp. I’ve had bad luck previously just tossing a spoonful of cornstarch into the bowl and having it distributed unevenly, so this time I mixed it with the spices and it worked much better. I used one heaping-ish tablespoon for about a pound and a half of sweet potatoes. You can use whatever seasoning you like, but I used a teaspoon each of paprika, garlic granules, and black pepper. I salted them after they came out of the oven, but you can add the salt here if you’d like.

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves in all of cooking, but unfortunately it really does help. If you don’t evenly space your sweet potatoes so they aren’t touching, they will not turn out as well. They need the air flow between them to maximize crisp, and any surfaces that are touching won’t get the air they need. Halfway through the cook time, take a minute or two and flip them all with tongs. A spatula is just going to make a mess.

I’ve found that I can reasonably get 1-1.5 pounds of sweet potatoes on a standard baking sheet, so if you’re cooking for more than 2-3 people, plan ahead and have multiple sheet pans ready to go.

Any recipe that says to cook them below 400 degrees can be disregarded. Raw sweet potatoes need prolonged exposure at high heat in order to cook properly, so you’re going to want to go at either 425 or 450. I cooked mine for 15 minutes before flipping, and then for another 20, but next time I think I’d do 20 minutes for both.

They’re going to feel a little soft when they’re fresh out of the oven, but don’t worry. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and they will develop a nice crisp exterior. I know they smell good and you’re in a rush, but it’s worth it.

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