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Crispy Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Published March 1, 2024
![Crispy Smashed Sweet Potatoes](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/03/01/multimedia/yf-crispy-smashed-sweet-potatoes-qgck/yf-crispy-smashed-sweet-potatoes-qgck-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 medium), unpeeled, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- Grated Parmesan (optional)
- 1lime, halved
- 1 or 2sprigs cilantro or parsley leaves and tender stems, gently torn or chopped
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and set a rack 6 inches from the broiler. On a sheet pan, toss the sweet potato rounds with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and the spices, tossing to coat well. Bake in the center of the oven until the largest piece is easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
- Step 2
Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to gently press the rounds to smash them. (It’s OK if some fall apart.)
- Step 3
Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then broil until the tops darken and char in spots, 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Use a spatula to flip them, sprinkle with Parmesan, if using, and cook until the other side also darkens in spots and the cheese melts, about 1 minute more.
- Step 4
Squeeze half a lime over everything and finish with a sprinkle of herbs and more grated cheese, if desired. Serve with the remaining lime half cut into wedges.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Ditch the sheet pan and drag out the cast iron skillet. I grow sweet potatoes and cook them a lot. I had these for lunch, but I hot fried them until blackened in butter and smushed them with a juice glass. Killer. Salt and pepper......
I wish I had peeled the sweet potatoes. The skins were really tough.
This might work better to crisp in a skillet
More sticky and mushy than chewy. Not a winner.
I was wondering the same thing -- what would make these crispy and not just baked potatoes with a bit of caramelization in parts? Do they need a toss in cornstarch? To be salted? air dried uncovered overnight in the fridge? tossed in cornstarch? Love the idea of tostones, but never had success with crispy sweet potatoes without mods.
I peeled the sweet potatoes and sliced them thinner than 1/2 inch. I roasted them in the oven and then finished them in the frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. They turned out really well. The bottom was nice and crunchy and the inside tasted sweet and caramelized. I didn't use the cheese but I did sprinkle the lime.
Hmmmm mine were delicious but not crispy, what did I do wrong?
Mine were mushy. Hard to turn without really breaking up after broiling. Tasty but very un-crispy.
I find sweet potatoes don’t crisp up like regular potatoes. Have you ever run across really crisp sweet potato fries? Not me. So, I’ve just given up ever expecting that.
I microwave a whole sweet potato until nearly done, then let it rest so I don't burn my fingers. I preheat a 400 degree oven with the sheet pan in it to get hot. Then I cut the potato into 1/3" slices and put it on a parchment sheet covered hot pan sheet pan. I spray olive oil on the slices, top and bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20+ minutes until the bottom is brown. Flip, squash the potato slices if you want, and bake again for 20+ minutes. The secret is the hot sheet pan.
I managed to achieve crispiness in the air fryer. Sliced a baked sweet potato into rounds, smashed, oiled, and seasoned them, then transferred to the air fryer with a sprinkle of parmesan. Cooked at 390 for 7 minutes. Delicious!
make sure to place the rack at the top, no more than 5-6” from the broiler, which I think is key to crispiness. I also raised the temp to 450 for the final 5 minutes. The result was crispy and addictively good.
If they are mushy, put them under the broiler for a few minutes
I agree with Anita re baking on parchment paper. I find potatoes, even frozen fries, crisp up especially well on parchment paper. Make sure not to exceed the oven temp listed on the box.
This was a miss for me. More like scraped potatoes. Everything stuck to whatever utensil I tried and I had to scrape off side of sheet pan. Not that crispy either. Flavors still good but not any better than just roasting slices in oil and salt until browned on bottom and saving on all the fuss.
Way too fiddly for a weeknight. Tasty, but not worth the amount of time I need to 1) check to see how the yams are cooking 2) smash and flip and fiddle.
Agree with others that they didn't get crispy. And they looked bad, charred - BUT! They were still delicious and I made a yogurt-mustard-lime dip as suggested. An easy recipe. A cast iron pan might have helped but I would have had to do them in batches.
Definitely preheat the pan with the oven. I, too, had trouble with the smashing sticking to the measuring cup (glass or metal) — might oil next time? Agree not very crispy, but great flavor.
Agree with the comments here. They don’t crisp up. They taste good, but don’t expect them to be really crispy at all.
These were tasty, but comparing them to tostones is ludicrous. Mine were mushy, too. That was ok…love sweet potatoes and the flavoring, but definitely not crispy.
Haven't tried this but it looks intriguing. But I wonder... every time we broil anything we end up with a smoky house. With these oiled potatoes so close to the heating element they'll smoke also. So, maybe the frying pan... or the outdoor grill.
To all those who are looking for crispy sweet potatoes: My mother in law does something similar though with cinnamon sugar for Thanksgiving. But she parboils the peeled sweet potatoes, then slices on a diagonal and pan fries in butter in a large cast iron pan. Definitely crisped them up. I remember trying to make them and forgetting the parboil step. What a mistake! I’ll try this with microwave to partly done and then hot skillet to crisp.
I peeled the sweet potatoes and sliced them thinner than 1/2 inch. I roasted them in the oven and then finished them in the frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. They turned out really well. The bottom was nice and crunchy and the inside tasted sweet and caramelized. I didn't use the cheese but I did sprinkle the lime.
Easier in Lodge 12" skillet. I cut the potatoes at a 45 degree angle and add S&P for a simply sizzled treat (with scant & evenly distributed olive oil in the pan).
I microwave a whole sweet potato until nearly done, then let it rest so I don't burn my fingers. I preheat a 400 degree oven with the sheet pan in it to get hot. Then I cut the potato into 1/3" slices and put it on a parchment sheet covered hot pan sheet pan. I spray olive oil on the slices, top and bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20+ minutes until the bottom is brown. Flip, squash the potato slices if you want, and bake again for 20+ minutes. The secret is the hot sheet pan.
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