Why it works: Sweet potato and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 539 recipes mention both. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground ginger, ground coriander and light brown sugar.
Put the sweet potato fries in a large bowl, add the light olive oil and toss until evenly coated.
Sprinkle the spice and sugar mixture over the potatoes and toss again so every piece is coated.
Spread the fries in a single layer on the baking sheet, leaving space between them so they roast rather than steam.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning the fries once halfway through, until tender and browned at the edges.
Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste while still hot, then serve.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Sweet potato + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together539 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,299 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Cardamom + coriandertop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together872 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cardamom + gingertop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,114 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the coriander
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sweet potato, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, sugar, pepper, olive):
- Nutmegabout as good a flavor fit
- Cloveabout as good a flavor fit
- Turmericabout as good a flavor fit
- Corianderthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sweet potato, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, sugar, pepper, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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