The grocery store has got me all confuzzled. When I went to develop this recipe and play around with it the other night, I bought what I believed was a sweet potato. I got it home, started peeling it, and there it was.

White flesh. Excuse me, sir?

I mean they still tasted really good. It tasted like…well…sweet potato. I was incredibly confused and a little shook to be honest. It’s not a huge deal though and they were still tasty, just not as pretty. Anyways skip two days ahead and I’m at the store again, determined to get it right this time and I instantly break out into a sweat looking at the sweet potato case. Are the white one yams? Oh my gosh, are the orange one yams and I’ve been calling them sweet potato my whole life? Has my knowledge of root vegetables been nothing but a charade…a lie?!

Well thank goodness for google, because I had no idea that there are white sweet potato and orange ones. The white ones are a bit drier and crumblier and the orange ones are softer and sweeter – those are the ones that, like me, you are also probably used to be eating. Crisis averted.

So now that I regained my confidence in root vegetable shopping, I was excited to go home and remake these! Who doesn’t love sweet potato fries? They’re tender, sweet, and a fun change from regular fries. But curried ones? Oh yes, it happened. Lightly spiced with curried, cumin, coriander, and cayenne…cooked until crispy and served with a cooling, mint-cucumber raita on the side. Move over, ketchup! Your kitchen is about to smell incredible!

These are baked, not fried, so right away you can feel a bit better about eating them on your couch. I won’t judge. If you’ve ever struggled to get crispy baked fries at home – have no fear! Everyone does. The hard truth is that you’re never going to get crispy fries in the oven like you would if they were fried in vats of oil. That’s the price you pay for healthy-ish. But you can actually get them crispy-ish. The trick?

Cornstarch. High heat. Not too much oil. Cook in a single layer.

Yes – just like in my curried tofu recipe, cornstarch is my best friend. Now you don’t need to use a lot – just a bit to help the coating stay crisp. I’ve also read about people soaking the potato for a couple hours in cold water, but ain’t nobody got time for that. If you do, give the soaking trick a try. I didn’t do the cornstarch trick the other night, but I did last night and it made a pretty noticeable difference.

These delicious and addictive little sweet and spicy fries are naturally vegan so that’s awesome. The dip, however, is not vegan and is made with yogurt. Obviously, this can be easily fixed by swapping out the yogurt for vegan yogurt. So this recipe is totally vegan friendly. My raita is definitely not the traditional way to make it. It’s normally made with regular plain yogurt, but I love dips with greek yogurt, so that’s what I use instead. If you’ve never had raita, it’s basically like Indian tzatziki. Raita is used to help cool down spicy foods. Is it the perfect (maybe a bit on the crazy side) pairing with curried fries? Oh heck yes it is. Refreshing cucumber, mint, cilantro, lime, garlic and a few spices make this dip the perfect pool for our fries to dive into. Honestly, it would probably be really good on sandwiches too and it’s delicious as a veggie dip! This sauce is not a one trick pony.

This recipe is easily adjustable for however many people you have. The spices are adjustable. It’s vegan adjustable. It’s fun and creative. But it’s not make ahead.SORRY GUYS. These sweet potato fries are hard to reheat. It’s possible, and I do it because they taste delicious still, but you will lose the crispness, and they will turn into simply roasted potatoes. But it’s fine – they are still tasty, just not fry-ish anymore. But the raita is make ahead and can be stored in an airtight container for a few days to eat on pretty much anything. These are a great side dish to sandwiches, burgers, or if you’re like me, Indian mint chicken when you get tired of rice. Or just eat them on their own.

Bored of regular fries? Shake it up with these curried sweet potato fries with their amazing and delicious friend, raita dip. Here’s a breakdown of why you should eat these:

• Sweet potatoes have a bunch of really great health benefits;
• Curry also has health benefits;
• They will make your kitchen smell great;
• The fries are naturally vegan and the raita can be vegan by using vegan yogurt;
• The fries are sweet, crispy, tender and lightly spiced in a fragrant spice blend;
• The raita is refreshing, tangy, and herb-a-licious;
• Fries are baked not fried;
• Raita is make ahead and can be eaten on absolutely anything;
• All the spices in the recipe can be adjusted to your taste;
• Recipe is easily adaptable for one person or a hundred people;
• Fun change from normal sweet potato fries;
• Straight up delicious and addictive.

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Curried Sweet Potato Fries & Cucumber Raita

Sweet potato fries:

• 1 medium sized sweet potato (the orange flesh kind)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. curry powder (adjustable to your taste)
• 1/2 tbsp. dried coriander (adjustable to your taste)
• 1/2 tbsp. cumin (adjustable to your taste)
• 1 tsp. cayenne (adjustable to your taste)
• 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Cilantro, for garnish

Raita:

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt (or regular yogurt or vegan yogurt)
• 1 cup finely diced or grated cucumber
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tbsp. mint, finely chopped (adjustable to your taste)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped (adjustable to your taste)
• 1 1/4 tbsp. dried coriander (adjustable to your taste)
• 1 1/4 tbsp. cumin (adjustable to your taste)
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced or grated,
• Salt & pepper, to taste

To make the fries:

Preheat oven to 400 fht. Prepare a baking pan by covering it in parchment paper.

Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long (or however big you want them – keep in mind that the size of your fry will change the cooking time). Try to get them all the same size, I know it’s hard because sweet potato is always a wonky shape – just do your best!

Place the fries into a large bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients minus the cilantro for garnish. You can adjust the seasoning blend to your taste. Place on the prepared baking pan in a single layer (important to help them crisp up as much as they can).

Bake the fries for 10 minutes and flip them. Bake them for another 15 minutes until they are crisp on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. Remember these won’t be as crispy as regular french fries that are fried in oil! Adjust your baking time if your fries are larger or smaller, but remember to flip them.

Once the fries are cooked, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately. They are delicious served with the raita recipe below!

To make raita:

While the fries are baking, mix all ingredients for raita in a large bowl. Put in the fridge and let all the flavours mingle while the fries are baking. You can adjust the seasoning to your taste.

To serve, garnish with mint alongside the fries. Raita is also delicious with other curry dishes, as a vegetable dip, or a sandwich spread. Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.