Sweet Potato Twigs

I had a craving for potatoes.  Not just potatoes, but long, thin, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, deliciously greasy french fries! But I am too good for my own good – I don’t even have potatoes in the house, to avoid exactly this kind of temptation. I have sweet potatoes, though, so I’ll have to come up with something healthy, yet satisfying.

So first thing I did, I put my husband to work. Hey, it’s Sunday, let the man be useful around the house!  I had him peel sweet potatoes and cut them into those long thin strips. For myself, I took the hard job – multitasking. I preheated the oven, lined and oil-sprayed a baking pan, set out salt, pepper, and parsley. That’s a lot of work! Then, on an impulse, I also peeled and cut thick rounds of a red onion, to roast together with potatoes.

If you don’t want to drench your roasting veggies in oil, the trick is to spread them evenly on a misted baking sheet and spray them on top. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, or, if you are adventurous – some like it hot! – chili pepper, and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes. You’ll have to flip them and spray them with oil again, and send back to roast for about 15 minutes, or until they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The onion slices will be soft and lightly browned.

The hard part of the job done, I had to wait for my sweet potatoes and onions to get done. I set the table. I fried fish. For my Fried Flounder recipe, please click here.  I thought a savory, cheesy dip will off-set the sweetness of potatoes and onions.  I had some pre-soaked cashews, so I pulverized them together with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and soy milk. I won’t tell you that it tastes like cheese, but it’s very good, and it serves the purpose. I made it the same way I make my Impostor Alfredo sauce (to see the recipe, please click here), but a little thicker. You can always adjust the consistency by adding more or less liquid into the food processor.

I called these guys Potato Twigs not only because they do look like twigs – they really do! – but also because it brought back a memory of a crunchy deep fried pastry my grandmother used to make which was called just that – Sugary Twigs.  With sweet onion rounds,  a Cheesy Cashew Dip and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, it was a totally satisfying and enjoyable side dish for my Fried Flounder.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large or two small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut
• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh roughly chopped parsley to garnish
• Optional chili pepper

 For Cheesy Cashew Dip:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or at least for 4 – 5 hours
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 -3 tablespoons soy milk or milk substitute of your choice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• Pinch of salt

PROCEDURE

• Preheat oven to 450 C.  Line and oil-spray shallow baking pan.
• Peel potatoes, cut into long thin strips, about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) diameter.
• Peel onion, cut into thick rounds.
• Arrange potato strips and onion rounds on baking sheet, spray with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, optional chili pepper.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, remove, turn each piece, spray with oil, bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are crunchy on outside, soft inside. Onions will be soft and lightly browned.
• Place all Cheesy Cashew Dip ingredients into blender or food processor, process until smooth and creamy. Scrape sides and add soy milk for thinner and creamier dip.
• Garnish with fresh roughly chopped parsley.

Enjoy!