Rosemary Sweet Potato Wedges with Vegan Garlic Aioli

Raise your hand if your favourite side dish to order in a restaurant is sweet potato fries! I absolutely love sweet potato fries, but I like them crispy and flavorful which can be hard to do at home. I’m sharing my trick for crispy sweet potato fries with you, and a delicious recipe for rosemary sweet potato wedges with vegan garlic aioli.

It’s nice to swap out regular potatoes with sweet potatoes for extra vitamin A and fibre. But sometimes they can be a sad substitute because they don’t get as crispy and sometimes they taste more sweet than salty. The trick for crispy sweet potato wedges is to add a little arrowroot or tapioca powder to the spices and oil that you coat them with. I also make sure to salt them well and add flavours that make them more savoury such as garlic,  onion powder, and herbs. This recipe is based off of a rosemary and garlic potato wedge that my mom always makes for dinner when we visit. She makes them with regular white potatoes, so I decided to try out the same flavours with sweet potatoes and they turned out delicious! I also made a vegan garlic aioli to dip them in for some extra savoury deliciousness.

Recipe

Ingredients

Fries
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 ½ tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch

Aioli
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour then drained
Juice of ½ a lemon
5 tablespoons of olive oil
Pinch of ground mustard powder
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of water
½ teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato wedges with the remaining fries ingredients until they are fully coated.
2. Place the wedges on the baking sheets in a single layer. Don’t put them too close to each other or the steam will prevent them from getting crispy. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, then flip the wedges over and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
3. While the wedges are baking, blend together all of the aioli ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until silky smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired.
4. Let wedges cool for a few minutes, then serve immediately with the aioli in a small bowl on the side for dipping.

Contributed by Melanie Maxwell, R.H.N.