Healthy French Fries

French fries are potatoes, which are not unhealthy; it is only when deep fried and eaten in mass that they become the enemy.  So, you could stick with a white potato and change your cooking method, or, my favorite is to make sweet potato fries for a major upgrade in taste and nutrition.

As I posted in "Is It All in Our Heads?,"  I choose organic sweet potatoes because they are juicier and have a more robust flavor, but regardless of how it is grown, the sweet potato is incredibly nutritious; a medium sweet potato has four times the recommended daily allowance of beta carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant, and when consumed with its skin, more fiber than a bowl of oatmeal....all for about 130 calories.  This makes them a great food to have out early at your cookout, as children and adults will devour them, filling up on something insanely healthy before they can reach for anything less nutritious.

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

(serves 4-5)

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes (as many as needed for your gathering)
2T EVOO
1t Fresh Rosemary
1/2t Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cover baking sheet with foil. 

Wash sweet potatoes and remove any bad spots.  Slice sweet potato with large knife; slicing it in half and then quartering it length-wise.  Cut uniform wedges about 1/2 inches thick off of the potato (this is an art not a science and the pieces do not need to be prefect) and spread uniformly on baking sheet. 

Using a brush or paper towel, apply a light layer of EVOO to the top of the potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and rosemary and bake until soft.  Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil before serving.

Related posts from Healthy.Happy.Simple:
How about a healthy burger with your sweet potato fries?

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Visit our Guide to Introducing Solid Foods to your infant.