Hidden Allergens at Restaurants <I>Sweet Potato Fries Recipe</I>

by Danielle Margulies

The fact is when you eat at a restaurant you can ask your server as many questions as you like and you can stipulate, "no this, no that", but when it comes down to it you cannot be sure of what you are eating ... There are hidden allergens in many processed and fast foods - McDonald's admission that their fries contain gluten, after previously having denied it (link to msnbc page?) is probably the tip of the iceberg – IHop puts pancake batter in their omelets to make them fluffy ...
Making something as delicious and sinful as fries at home can be a fun way to befriend your kitchen as you take back control of your food.

This week's recipe for Sweet Potato Fries is indeed sinful and delicious, but by using sweet potatoes instead of regular it’s incredibly nutritious and by baking rather than frying it allows for healthful olive oil instead of frying oil – what could be better than that?

There is a great deal of confusion about the name of the sweet potato, which is often called a yam – or confused with a yam - the sweet potato is not actually related to the yam or even closely related to the potato ... The confusion dates back to Columbus' expedition to Haiti in 1492 when Europeans first tasted the sweet potato. It was later named "batata" by explorers who adopted the Haitian name – but that name was subsequently transferred to the common potato – hence the confusion which still surrounds sweet potatoes and yams.

For this recipe the best choice is the driest fleshed sweet potato – different varieties are White Yam, or Nancy Hall, Centennial, Georgia Jet, "Bunch" Porto Rico or the Beauregard.

Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:
1 Large sweet potato
2 Cloves garlic
¼ Cup olive oil
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into fries – roughly a third of an inch squared if possible.
As you are chopping, bring a medium sized pot of water to the boil on the stovetop.
When you have cut all the fries and the water has boiled, turn off the heat and immerse the fries in the hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Chop the garlic into slithers.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat – adding the garlic and red pepper flakes.
When the slices of garlic are golden brown use a slotted spoon to remove them and most of the chili flakes and set aside.
Pour half the olive oil on to a non-stick baking sheet coating the sheet.
Add the fries making sure they’re not touching and pour the remainder of the oil over the top.
Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Put in the oven for 15 minutes (check after 10 minutes – the underside should be browning).
Turn all the fries over and return to the oven for 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and scrape the fries into a serving dish and toss them in the cooking oil, adding the garlic and chili flakes and enjoy!
This recipe makes 2 servings and can easily be doubled or tripled.
(If you really like a lot of spicy heat also give them a light dusting of cayenne pepper before serving!)

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