Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, Sinuses, and Something Election-Like

Something has once again crawled into my face and died, so I’m going to keep it simple today. Two quick points:

1) You may not have heard, but there’s apparently a politicky-type thing going on tomorrow. There’s an old dude running against a youngish dude for some sort of office in some country. I really don’t know much about it, but this incisive, insightful, generally tremendous article, The Presidential Palate: McCain and Obama on Food, might explain it a little better. Or, at least it’ll tell you how they feel about food. (Hint: they like it.)

2) Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, these are pretty solid sweet potato fries. The Boyfriend, my sister and I devoured them with turkey burgers and Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts last week, and they were dead-on perfect for a cool fall day. They might appear to burn while cooking, but don’t be afraid to leave them in for the full time. They’ll crisp up well.

Oh, and another thing - your spice mix price might vary wildly, depending on how you obtain your herbs. Mine was about $0.04 per potato, because I buy a combination of bulk and inexpensive jarred spices.

Okay. Back to prescription drugs, canned soup, and the sweet release of sleep. (Oh, sinuses - what did I ever do to you?)

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
Serves as many as you like
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.

sweet potatoes, one per person, peeled and cut into steak fries (about 3" x 1/2" each)
olive oil (see below)

Seasoning Mix:
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.

2) Mix/grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and pepper in a mortar, spice grinder, or wiped-down coffee grinder. Add salt. Stir.

3) In medium bowl, mix sweet potatoes, olive oil, and as much of the spice mixture as you need. (Store the rest.) Kalyn says: "You will need about 1 T olive oil and 2 tsp. of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how spicy you like it."

4) Pour sweet potato fries on to prepared pan, spreading them out as you go. Roast 30 or 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and outside is a little browned, flipping occasionally with a spatula. Serve immediately.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
223 calories, 7 g fat, $0.49

Calculations
1 sweet potato: 162 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.39
½ T olive oil (see below): 60 calories, 6.7 g fat, $0.06
2 T ground coriander: negligible calories and fat, $0.26
1 T ground fennel: negligible calories and fat, $0.26
1 T dried oregano: 9 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.10
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper): negligible calories and fat, $0.03
2 T kosher salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.05
Each serving has 1 potato + ½ T olive oil + 1/20th seasoning
PER SERVING: 223 calories, 7 g fat, $0.49