Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds Appetizer Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak sweet potatoes before roasting? ›

Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

Cutting sweet potatoes in advance is a great way to meal-prep your way to an easier weeknight dinner, but raw sweet potatoes dry out pretty quickly after they're cut. When chopping sweet potatoes in advance, make sure to store them in cold water in the refrigerator.

Start your slips by placing sections of mature sweet potato in a jar or glass of water with half of the potato below the water and half above. Use toothpicks to hold the sweet potato in place. The slips need warmth, so put them on a window ledge or on top of a radiator.

Give it space. Keep this in mind: Avoid overcrowding at all costs. I know we say that a lot in recipes, but it's especially true for any ingredient—chicken thighs, broccoli, sweet potatoes—that you're trying to brown evenly. I've found that sweet potatoes really need space for a truly roasted, crisped-edge result.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

Know that chips that are too thick in parts won't crisp up all the way. Still delicious, just not "chip" crispiness. Toss slices in a touch of olive oil to lightly coat, then sprinkle with salt.

Do you have to poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? Typically holes are poked into a sweet potato to prevent a potato exploding in your oven. However, the chance of that happening is low, and according to Lifehacker, sweet potatoes will retain more flavor if you don't poke them.

If a sweet potato is growing some minor appendages but is still firm to the touch and otherwise free of blemishes, it's A-OK to eat. Use a peeler or a small paring knife to carefully remove and discard the sprouts, then cook the potato ASAP.

1) Always poke a few holes.

We're creating steam vents. Otherwise the pressure in the sweet potato could build up so high in the oven that it explodes—an unlikely possibility but one best avoided!

You can immediately see that the par-cooked potatoes browned better, indicating a higher sugar content that allowed them to caramelize faster. This was also reflected in the flavor: The par-cooked potatoes were significantly sweeter and more flavorful than the plain roasted potatoes, which were starchy and bland.

Why are my roasted sweet potatoes mushy? ›

While they are a traditional choice for Thanksgiving, they are healthy and delicious and should be eaten all year long. Typically when you roast sweet potatoes, they end up mushy, not crispy. That's because the high sugar content and moisture in the potato creates a softer result.

When a small amount of vinegar is added to the soaking water before frying, it can help impart a tangy flavor to the fries without making them taste overly vinegary. The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying.

Types of Potatoes to Soak

"Sweet potatoes can also be peeled and stored in water for up to 24 hours."

Soaking the sliced potatoes in water helps to draw out some of the starch from the middle of the potato, resulting in a sturdier, crispier French fry.

The best potatoes for French fries are soaked in a sugar solution before frying. The sugar solution has something to do with the carbohydrates and prevents the potatoes from soaking up a lot of grease, so they get crunchy.

The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.