Curly Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries are real food that happens to taste like a treat, and this version proves it. A spiralizer turns 2 sweet potatoes into curls, the oven crisps them, and you get golden fries with a whole vegetable behind every bite.

Sweet potato is a starchy root, not a nightshade, so it belongs fully on this plate, and it is a rich source of beta-carotene, a building block the body converts toward vitamin A, involved in immune and mucosal health. The coconut oil they roast in adds a clean cooking fat, and the garlic gives savory depth.

These are at their best straight from the pan, golden and a little crisp at the edges. Pile them on the plate, take a breath over the color and the smell, and let yourself enjoy them. Real food, eaten slowly and with presence, is its own kind of medicine.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, spiralized
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Optional egg-free garlic dip (in place of the source's aioli):

• 1/4 cup AIP-friendly egg-free mayonnaise (see the egg-free mayonnaise) or coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• sea salt to taste

The source seasons the fries with black pepper and serves a mayonnaise-based aioli. Black pepper is a seed spice that is off-limits on strict AIP, so leave it out; the garlic and salt carry the flavor. The source's aioli uses egg-based mayonnaise, which is also off-limits, so either skip the dip entirely or make the egg-free version above with an AIP mayo or whipped coconut cream as the base. The source notes that those managing interstitial cystitis should skip the aioli.

Method

• Toss the spiralized sweet potato with the melted coconut oil, garlic powder, and salt until evenly coated. Spread it in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan, keeping the curls loose so they crisp instead of steaming.
• Bake at 425 F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Watch closely near the end, since the thin edge pieces brown first.
• If you are making the dip, stir the egg-free mayo or coconut cream together with the garlic powder, lemon juice, and salt, and chill it until serving.

Air fryer variation

Air fry the seasoned curls at 375 to 400 F for roughly 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice, until crisp at the edges. Work in batches and keep the layer loose so they crisp rather than steam. This time is an untested conversion, so start low and check.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*