These Mexican fries are insanely delicious sweet potato wedges loaded with black beans, salsa, cumin cream, and feta cheese.
This post was made in partnership with North Carolina Sweet Potatoes. All opinions are ours.
I recently came across an article titled Habit Shift: Meal Prep, in which author Erin Boyle shares tips on getting into the habit of preparing meals ahead of time. For example, try scrubbing and chopping sweet potatoes in the morning or the night before instead of just before dinner. Which made me think it’s a matter of habit change, isn’t it? The journey for Alex and I over the past 8 years of cooking together has been one of habit shifts: completely changing the way we eat to focus on fresh, home-cooked meals rather than frozen or packaged dishes. Read on to learn more about changing habits and this Mexican fries recipe!
Related: Easy dinner recipes for two
How to change habits for healthy cooking
It wasn’t hard that we had to change the way we think about food: it was just a change. It’s about changing habits, and it’s been done incrementally. It’s about grabbing a handful of nuts and dried cherries as a snack instead of potato chips. Or chop veggies for a stir-fry or curry instead of pouring flavor packets into a pan and stirring. It makes those healthy Mexican fries instead of going out for takeout. It doesn’t hurt at all! It’s just a different way of thinking.
We certainly haven’t figured it all out yet, but we’re getting closer. For us, cooking most meals on the weekends works for us, and we’ve found a few easy meals that work on weekdays. It’s not glamorous or perfect, but it works. And every time we cook, we learn more about what works. Roasting whole sweet potatoes 1 hour before dinner doesn’t work at this stage of life, chopping up potatoes for Mexican fries and roasting for 25 minutes will do.
And you, what habits have you changed to cook more at home? Or which habits would you like to change?
How to make Mexican fries
Alex and I have often confessed our obsession with sweet potatoes and Mexican-inspired flavors. Combined, the two complement each other perfectly. And what’s better than Mexican sweet potato fries? While these Mexican fries look indulgent, they’re actually quite filling… maybe we could even say healthy fries?
These Mexican fries are simply roasted sweet potatoes with black beans, salsa and a vegan Mexican-style custard made with tahini and lime. (You can also use traditional Mexican cream.) Sweet potato fries aren’t as crunchy as red potatoes, but the gooey sweet potatoes along with the flavorful filling are incredibly satisfying.
The only tricky thing about Mexican fries is slicing the sweet potatoes into fries. To do this, cut off the ends of each potato and then cut the potato in half lengthwise. Next, place the half-cut potato side down and cut off a ¼-inch slice. Lay this slice on its side and cut it into several long strips, this will make the fries! Below is a video tutorial on how to cut potatoes into fries!
Related: What is tahini?
Video: How to cut potatoes into fries
Are you wondering exactly how to cut potatoes into fries? Here’s our short tutorial showing me how to cut fries in our kitchen!
More sweet potato recipes
As we admitted above, we like sweet potatoes! Aside from these Mexican fries recipes, here are some other sweet potato recipes we love:
This Mexican fries recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free. For vegans, leave out the feta.
The description
These Mexican fries are insanely delicious sweet potato wedges loaded with black beans, salsa, cumin cream, and feta cheese.
For the sweet potato fries
- 3 Books about sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the caraway lime cream
- 1 clove of garlic
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (2 Lemons)
- 2 ½ tablespoons tahini
- 1 tbsp Mexican hot sauce (like cholula)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Mexican fries toppings
- 15– ounces of black beans
- 1 cup salsa
- ½ cup crumbled feta (optional, omit for dairy-free or vegan)
- Fresh coriander for garnish
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cut the potatoes into fries (see video below): Wash the sweet potatoes and leave them on the skin. Trim the ends off each potato, then cut the potato in half lengthwise. Lay the half-cut potato side down and slice a ¼-inch slice, then set the slice on its side and cut into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes are cut into fries. The pieces may be uneven, but aim for as uniform a thickness as possible. Watch the video below to see!
- Place fries in a large bowl; Drizzle with olive oil, then add garlic powder, chili powder, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Mix well to combine. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries on the paper and space them as much as possible.
- Fry 15 minutes on one side, then flip the fries and broil another 10 to 20 minutes, until fries are dry and lightly browned; Watch them carefully as cooking time may vary depending on the thickness and the heat of your oven. (If the majority of the fries appear soft, continue cooking.)
- In the meantime, prepare the cumin-lime cream: Finely chop the garlic clove. Squeeze limes. In a small bowl, combine garlic and lime juice with tahini, Mexican hot sauce, olive oil, cumin, and kosher salt.
- Drain the black beans, rinse and sprinkle with a few pinches of kosher salt.
- When the fries are done, let them cool for a few minutes and then serve immediately. Some fries might be a little soft, but most fries are crispy on the outside. (Hint: fries are best straight out of the oven; they’ll soften the longer they sit.) To serve, top Mexican fries with black beans, cumin-lime cream, salsa, crumbled feta, and shredded cilantro leaves.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Mexican inspired
Keywords: Mexican Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Wedges, Mexican Fries, Vegetarian Dinner, Dinner Ideas, Vegan Dinner, Vegan Dinner Ideas, Mexican Fries
