Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Foil-packet sweet potato wedges over coals, with a lime-heavy avocado dip mixed in the shell.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 38
- protein
- 5 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 50 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Sweet potatoes | 2 medium | about 1.5 lb, cut at home to save a cutting board |
|---|---|---|
| Corn starch | 1/2 tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Kosher salt | 3/4 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | 1.5 tbsp for the fries, the rest for the sauce |
| Avocado | 1 large | buy it hard, it ripens in the car |
| Lime juice | 1 tbsp | bottled is fine and does not roll away |
| Cilantro | 2 tbsp chopped | or 2 tsp dried |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals. Flames scorch the outside before the middle cooks.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges about a finger thick. Toss them in a bag with the corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until every piece is dusty.
- Add 1.5 tbsp oil to the bag and work it around. Oil after starch, not before.
- Spread the wedges in a single layer on a doubled sheet of heavy foil, fold a loose tent over the top, and set it on a grate above the coals.
- Cook 20 minutes, then open the tent, turn the wedges, and leave it open another 10 to 15 so steam escapes and the edges dry out.
- While they cook, halve the avocado, mash it in its own shell with a spoon, and stir in the lime juice, cilantro, remaining oil, and a pinch of salt.
Sweet potatoes go limp when they cook in their own steam, which is exactly what a sealed foil packet does to them. The fix is the corn starch and an open tent for the back half of the cook. The starch soaks up surface moisture and sets into a thin dry shell, and venting the foil lets the rest of the water leave instead of pooling under the wedges.
This is a car-camping recipe and it does not pretend otherwise: it wants 35 minutes, a bed of coals, and a cooler for the avocado. The sauce is a thin guacamole, and the lime is not just flavor. Enough acid keeps the cut avocado green long enough to finish the meal and use the rest tomorrow. Mash it in the shell and there is nothing to wash.
Packing
Mix the starch and spices into a small jar at home. Wedge the potatoes at home too and carry them in a zip bag in the cooler; cut surfaces darken but cook the same. Avocado rides on top of the cooler, not in it.
Variations
- No fire: a foil packet on a grill grate over a two-burner stove works the same, lid down.
- Skip the corn starch on a grain-free trip. You get softer wedges and the sauce covers for it.
- Extra lime in the sauce keeps it green for a second meal the next day.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/crispy-baked-sweet-potato-fries-avocado-cilantro-sauce