Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sweet Potato Fries with Blue Cheese and Chives and a Citrus Blue Cheese Dip


Anxiety permeated the air.  While making these, I kept having visions of grabbing the tray without oven mitts.  I have done this before.  And I really do not want to do it again. It didn't happen this time, thankfully.  But it will.  The visions are most definitely a premonition of an upcoming kitchen accident.

There is an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is at a job interview and gets into a discussion with the interviewer about whether grace is an all or nothing attribute or whether it is something of which you can have varying amounts   Based purely on my own lived experience, I have to say all or nothing.  I have none.  From where I'm sitting everyone else has "all."  I completely lack it.  I get so caught up in my head that I run into doors, into corners, burn myself, drop things (countless dishes have been broken by me), and I have an absurd amount of bruises dotting my arms and legs.  You can play "what constellation do you think these look like" with my bruises.

And this lack of general grace is, not surprisingly, mirrored in athletics.  I am not an athlete.  I lack all sorts of coordination skills.  Watching me attempt to play a sport is like watching a drunken newborn deer just trying to figure out how to work its legs.

Perhaps because of my lack of athletic grace and ability, I don't really enjoy watching sports.  I never know what is going on with them.  Perhaps it is jealousy masquerading as ennui.  Who knows.

But it is that time of year when a certain football game actually comes into our purview.  Most times we watch, sometimes we don't.  But we usually at least know when the Superbowl is being played, and we generally see it as an excuse to eat some fun food.  Like some roasted sweet potatoes sticks.  Dunked in a lemony blue cheese sauce.  Or topped with it.  Whatever floats your boat.

Ingredients
Sweet Potato Fries:
2 sweet potatoes, cut into sixteenths
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup chopped chives
1-2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Blue Cheese Dip:
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cayenne, to taste

Instructions
Sweet Potato Fries:
Heat oven to 425. Place potatoes in large bowl, coat with 1-2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet (I line mine with a Silpat) and into the oven.  Get one side crispy, then flip each fry, for roughly 30 minutes total roasting time. Once cooked, sprinkle with chopped chives and blue cheese.

Blue Cheese Dip:
Mix all together, either serve on top of fries or as a dip.

26 comments:

  1. I want the whole bowl! The dip sounds amazing too.

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  2. Good reason for sweet potato fries. Not that I have any interest in organized sports of any type either. :) Ahaha, I am utterly and completely uncoordinated as well. It was so bad that I often got into trouble back in Phsys-Ed classes for hitting other people on the head with errant volley balls. They seriously had a mind of their own. The volley balls, I mean. :)

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  3. Yeah, I feel ya. I'm clumsy in the kitchen, which ironically, is my apparent "happy place." ;)

    I don't watch football but I would love to have some of these fries, please!

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  4. Ooh, these fries sound tasty, especially with the bleu cheese dip!

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  5. Wow!these are perfect for a snack...love the dressing!

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  6. These Sweet Potato Fries are divine. I love that they are baked and not fried. :) That way, I can indulged more without feeling the guilt! :P

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  7. I have no grace, either. But these fries look totally crispy and divine!

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  8. I love making baked sweet potato fries at home and this just reminds me that I haven't done it in a long time! Hubs would love the blue cheese, but I might have to swap that out for some goat or feta!

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  9. How funny, I am also on the newborn deer camp! These sound wonderful especially with the blue cheese.

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  10. Perfect pairing! I could finish the whole plate! Looks wonderful!

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  11. Jenn, these sweet potato fries look delish, and the dip just takes them to the next level. My husband can give or take sweet potato fries, but he would devour them with the blue cheese dip!

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  12. The pairing of blue cheese with sweet potatoes is quite revolutionary :)
    And delicious!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  13. I go crazy for these..I always order the sweet potato fries with my burgers when eating out, who cares for the extra charge? On the pic it seems to be sweet potatoes with the white flesh, is it so? do you think I could also make it with the orange kind?

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    Replies
    1. i used the white ones, but i bet the orange ones would work as well!

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  14. Yep, regarding the Superbowl, all I know is when it happens and that it's a good excuse to make food. The blue cheese dip sounds fantastic for these fries! And, great for a day when some big game is on tv.

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  15. I love sweet potatoes so I eat them quite often, yet I had never tried with blue cheese! You made me curious about this combination. I got to try this!

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  16. I love sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries. These ones look delicious with the yummy blue cheese dipping sauce,

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  17. I am SO not into sports either but I could be convinced if I means I get to eat these!

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  18. YUM! yum.. yum.. YUM! Sweet potatoes are my guilty pleasure.. if you put a bowl in front of me I will eat the entire thing. Zero self restraint. :) love the blue cheese and chives, perfect fries!

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  19. Delish! I love SP fries, so yummy. I love the dip recipe, so unique!

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  20. Awww this is my fav. I love your dip...blue cheese ,sour cream...wow sounds sooo good:)

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  21. My husband and son are big fans of blue cheese! This dip is right up their alley!

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  22. Sweet potatoes fries are my favorite. Dare I say it, but I'd pick them over regular fries 9 times out of 10. Add in the blue cheese dip you're featuring and they look out of this world.

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  23. I love sweet potato fries and that dip sounds seriously good!

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