Well, here we are. No one said this would be easy, but I am dedicated to covering difficult truths in this blog.
Now before I go down this path, I have to make one thing clear. This is not a post against sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are lovely and delicious. I am just speaking out against this particular application of sweet potatoes. You see, sweet potatoes truly have a strong identity crisis off the bat. In some places in the US they are mislabeled as yams despite the fact that we don’t even grow yams here, and thus they are hard to come by.
But beyond that, sweet potatoes really do struggle with a sweet versus savory dilemma. Every Thanksgiving I volunteer to make the sweet potatoes so that I can control the sweet potato narrative. Some people love the sweet, sweet casserole with marshmallows on top, and some love a savory preparation along with the other vegetables being served. To compromise, I make a sweet potato casserole with a brown sugar pecan crumble, which I try not to make too sweet. But the bottom line is— there will always be people who want their sweet potatoes sweet, and those who like them savory.
But back to fries. The most offensive thing about most sweet potato fries is the sad attempt to simply have them as replacements for regular potatoes. They are so different than regular white potatoes. They can be sweet or savory! Their best application is not as a fry. They are better than the sad, sad, dry fries that always are served when someone orders sweet potato fries. Let me tell you— anything that creates an urge to dip a sweet potato in ketchup is not of God. And that’s the problem sweet potato fries present to us time after time. Yet, restaurants market them to us as a healthier alternative and something more unique to try. Ok first of all— if my mind is set on eating some fries, I’m not trying to be healthy in this moment. Let me be fat in peace. I don’t order fries often, but when I do, I want a good old white potato fry. Carbs and all. Second, sweet potato fries are thrown in our face constantly. They are not unique, or something different to eat. And if you want to make them different, offer some dipping sauces that go with a sweet potato. Give me a cinnamon butter drizzle. A red chili sauce. Anything but ketchup. Stop trying to make that combo happen, for goodness sake.
So the next time you are offered a sweet potato fry, think long and hard about what you are wanting. Don’t settle for a dry, fried sweet potato to dip in ketchup. You are better than that. We all are.