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Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries are fried sweet potato sticks coated with maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cover potatoes with water, bring to a rolling boil, and cook until tender.

  2. Drain thoroughly, cold shock in iced water, and drain again.

  3. Combine syrup and vanilla; set aside.

Fry and finish

  1. Heat oil to 375°F and deep fry potatoes in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a cooling rack.

  2. Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle on potatoes once all fried.

  3. Warm syrup mixture in a large saucepan over low heat; toss with potatoes and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

399Calories
4 gProtein
14 gFat
66 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Sweet potato + cinnamontop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together539 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Sweet potato + vanillatop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together189 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sweet potatoes
Boiling softens the starch so the frying produces a crisp outside and a tender inside.
Maple syrup
Provides sweetness and a sticky glaze that browns slightly when warmed.
Dark brown sugar
Adds sweetness and caramel flavor to the coating.
Oil
Transfers heat quickly to the potato surface, driving off moisture and creating a crisp golden crust.

The step that matters

Frying in batches at 375°F. Adding too many potatoes at once drops the oil temperature, so the fries soak up oil and turn greasy and soft instead of crisp. Keeping the oil hot and the batches small keeps the crust crisp.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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