There are certain foods that we know are treats, and should be eaten rarely. French Fries are the ubiquitous side that comes with so many meals.  Fast food restaurants started to give us more choices, but fries still hit the plate more often than not.   Fries with gravy stepped up the not–good–for–you quotient even more!   We had a small rule in our household that the only time we could eat fries with gravy was if we were on one of BC Ferries’ main routes.  Then came yam fries.

These tender, delicious morsels were what apparently I had been waiting my whole life for.  They’re better for you just because of what they’re made from!  Now they are my food choice when on one of the “big” ferries.

At home, I rarely deep–fry foods, however these fries are excellent done in the oven.  Squeeze on a bit of limejuice, a dash of salt & pepper with a drizzle of oil, and you have an incredible, colourful side.  Oh heck, let them stand on their own.  

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2 servings

Ingredients

1½ – 2lbs yams

½ T limejuice

1 T olive oil

½ t kosher salt (or any of the wonderful salts available today that are slightly coarser than table salt)

½ t freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°

Peel & cut the yams into ½“ rods.

Place in a large bowl and drizzle the limejuice over – or simply squeeze ½ a lime directly over the yam rods.

Toss really well, until there’s a bit of juice on all the rods.

Drizzle the rods with the olive oil.

Once again toss really well.  This tossing is why you only need to use 1T.  It goes a long way if you give it a chance!

Sprinkle with the salt & pepper and toss a few more times.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Arrange the yam rods on it in a single layer.

Cook for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and turn the fries over.

Return to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve just as they are or with a bit of zesty mayo.

Zesty Mayo:

⅓ c mayonnaise or light mayonnaise

2 T lemon juice

¼ t chili powder (or zest it up using Chipotle powder)