Frites with Benefits

Life is a tuber

slumbering. In woe

with worms and woodbugs

and warmth        just enough.

Life is a tuber     growing      fat.

Underground     blind   and  quiet

hard.                       Life is a tuber

humdrum,                                ho-hum.

Cut it                                                  open,

add some fire,

forget not to season –

life is  a

tuber.

It’s better to be a tuber which feeds the nations, than to be caviar which we can all do without.

Pride brings a person low,

But the lowly in spirit gain honour.

Proverbs 29: 23

Ingredients for the goat cheese aioli –  goodbye chipotle aioli, no apologies:

100 g herb goat cheese (or use plain and add 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme)

2-3 tbsp hot water, as needed

3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

few grinds freshly cracked black pepper

To make the goat cheese aioli, mash the goat cheese in a small bowl, adding hot water as necessary until creamy – you want it to be a frosting consistency. Stir in the mayonnise and black pepper, refrigerate until needed.

 Ingredients for the crispy sweet potato fries:

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed under running water then wiped dry

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp avocado or grape seed oil

To make the sweet potato fries, cut the sweet potatoes into thin sticks, about 1/3 inch or 1 cm in thickness and put them in a large mixing bowl. You can do this 2 hours in advance and let them dehydrate at room temperature – this will help them crisp up and caramelize better in the oven.

Once you’re ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F , with to racks spaced evenly (you really need to wander up the high end with the temperature for it to crisp up). Toss the dry sweet potato sticks with the corn starch and paprika to coat as evenly as possible. Adding corn starch when the sweet potatoes are still dry helps makes the coating very even and perfectly thin. Drizzle the oil over the fries and toss again to coat evenly, be patient and really try to make the oil go the mile.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and take your time to place them (yes, each and every one) onto the baking sheets in a single layer so they don’t touch. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then switch the top batch with the lower batch and continue baking for 5~10 minutes until crispy and well caramelized (the skin should puff up a bit).

Serve immediately with the goat cheese aioli. The longer these fries sit the softer they get, so enjoy them while they’re golden!

Ooooohhh that goat cheese aioli though…!!