Baked Cajun Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Sweet potatoes are crafty tubers. On the one hand, even when they serve as the foundation for something decadent such as loaded sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole, they still  boast a number of health benefits, including enhancing brain function, promoting gut health, and supporting the body's never-ending battle against cellular damage (via Healthline). On the other hand, sweet potatoes are also perfect in recipes that allow their warm and mild sweet flavor to stand largely on their own — or enhanced by one specific seasoning, such as Cajun.  

"We are huge sweet potato fans in my house, and we love spicy food, too," said recipe developer Susan Olayinka. "I find the Cajun spice quite fiery!" However, unlike some of the fried versions of Cajun sweet potatoes, Olayinka's version is baked. Of course, thanks to Olayinka's method for cultivating a crispy, caramelized exterior, you'll hardly discern the difference.

For this recipe for Cajun sweet potatoes, you will need to start with five medium sweet potatoes. And here is a helpful little fact that you may find useful when you go shopping for your sweet potatoes: it is common practice among American grocers and supermarkets to treat sweet potatoes and yams as if they were interchangeable (despite that yams aren't orange or sweet). Even if they are stored and sold from separate bins, the fact is that most "yams" in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes. So, if your local grocery store happens to be "out" of sweet potatoes, go ahead and grab some from the yams bin.

In addition, you'll need extra virgin olive oil, Cajun seasoning, salt and paprika, to further enhance the Cajun seasoning's peppery flavor.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. 

Now, let's turn to those sweet potatoes. 

Something that makes this recipe for Cajun sweet potatoes particularly appealing is that it calls for unpeeled sweet potatoes, which is something you don't always see in sweet potato recipes. And that's unfortunate because sweet potato peels are not only a great source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals (via Healthline), but they also deliver another dimension of flavor and texture — one which might be described as earthy and satisfying. 

Grab a chopping board and a sharp chef's knife, and slice those unpeeled sweet potatoes into slender wedges.

In this step, we not only season the sweet potatoes, but we also coat them lightly with olive oil, which will help the sweet potato skins to reach their fullest crispy potential. Simply place the sweet potato wedges in a large mixing bowl, add the extra-virgin olive oil, Cajun seasoning, salt and paprika. Toss everything together until sweet potatoes are fully coated. 

Has your oven temperature reached 350 F yet? It's important that it does, according to Olayinka, who believes this is the "magic" temperature for these Cajun-seasoned sweet potato wedges to achieve their perfect level of crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside. If not, you can use this time to transfer the seasoned sweet potato wedges onto to a parchment lined baking tray or sheet pan. 

Once your oven has registered 350 F, place the tray or pan on the center rack of the oven, and cook for 35 minutes or until fork tender. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer to a serving dish. If you somehow manage not to devour all of the wedges in one go, you'll want to pop any leftovers back into the oven to crisp up before digging in.