Sweet Potato Home Fries

I am never quite happy with the potato fries that I make at home. Somehow they lack the crispy-ness of my mom's fries and the fries at the Counter and every wedge fry that I love because it is crispy on the outside and softer on the inside. How is the crisp done? I tried these sweet potato fries from Mark Bittman, and got no closer than I had on previous attempts. I think part of the problem is that I have a little oven and never give each wedge the space that it needs on the pan. But what else? I am still on the hunt for that perfect fry.

These fries were seasoned alright, but if I had to do it I would season them either just with salt or with the seasonings of the squash fries recipe on this blog.

From the NYTimes Thanksgiving section: Entire Meal In Three Hours:

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/19/dining/the-minimalist-give-thanks-in-three-hours-from-scratch.html?pagewanted=5&src=pm

Ingredients:

4 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 3 or 4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. minced garlic

1 C. chopped parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it; add the potatoes, and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook.

2. Drain the potatoes, then plunge them into a large bowl filled with ice water. When cool, drain again. In a roasting pan large enough to hold the potatoes in one layer, toss them with the olive oil and the garlic.

3. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Roast the potatoes, tossing them occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss with parsley, salt and pepper, and serve.

Yield: 12 servings.

Time: 30 minutes.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 180 calories, 6 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 20 milligrams sodium (before salting), 2 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate.