Sweet Potato Fries

The Best Sweet Potato Fries

How can I claim that this is, without a doubt, the best Sweet Potato Fries recipe; in short, I can’t. But I can say that, after trying these fries, I couldn’t imagine that they get any better. And one of the things that I’ve, personally, figured out about cooking and eating fried sweet potatoes is that you want to keep it simple. The real secret is in the sauce or in this case sauce’s!

Sauce for Sweet Potato Fries

First off, you may have noticed that my Sweet Potato Fries look like regular French Fries but they’re not. Sweet Potatoes aren’t all orange, they’re white too. And, just to clear the air, Yams and Sweet Potatoes are pretty much the same thing. In all honesty, I think that the orange color in Yams make beautiful fries and I would rather have used them instead for the purpose is of this blog post because I think they’re prettier to look at. But for the same purpose of this post, I intentionally used the white Sweet Potatoes to prove the point that it doesn’t really matter which one you choose to use. Either or, they will both taste the same. And like I already mentioned, the real secret is in the sauce.

I make both a Spicy Mayo and a Barbecue Fry Sauce and in truth, I think you’ll like the Barbecue Fry Sauce the best. By now, the world has become very familiar with the spicy mayo and they’ve already decided whether or not they like it. Plus, if you’re not a fan of spicy food, you’re most likely going to prefer the barbecue. It’s very simple to make and it really compliments the Sweet Potato Fries. And though I didn’t add it to the ingredients list, you might want to add a touch of Sesame Oil. So, definitely give that one a try.

Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato, Orange or White
Frying Oil
Season Salt to taste

DIPPING SAUCES

Barbecue Fry Sauce
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
3 tbsp Barbecue Sauce
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce

Spicy Mayo
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha

Pealing the Sweet Potato is optional, but you want to cut the ends off, then slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Fry at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 Minutes then place on paper towels. Immediately Salt with Seasoned Salt before the Sweet potato Fries cool down. This allows the seasoning to stick better. For the dipping Sauces, just mix all the ingredients for each one and stir until it’s smooth, then serve your Sweet Potato Fries.

Shrimp Ceviche – Ceviche de Camaron

Shrimp Ceviche is so Refreshing

All of the ingredients are designed to pack a wallop of nutrition and explode with flavor. It’s got Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Avocado, Cucumber and a list of other seasoning’s and ingredients you’re going to love. You can serve this with chips, eat it plain as a salad, serve as a Tostada or, my favorite, as a Cocktail in a glass with Clamato!

Shrimp Ceviche can, technically, be made with vegetables only but traditionally it’s made with either Tilapia or Shrimp. The secret is cook the meat in the citric acid of freshly squeezed Lemon and Limes. I find this method very effective with the fish but I find that it makes the shrimp a little pasty and less pleasant to eat. So I like to steam my shrimp before I marinade it in the juice. I get a ton flack from Hispanics that see me do it this way in the video but the results turn out virtually the same. The texture of the shrimp is better and the flavor of the Lemon and Lime marinade is forever present because the citrus is so potent. Therefore, trust me with the steaming in this recipe and enjoy your Shrimp Ceviche!

Shrimp Ceviche Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 lemons
2 limes
1/4 cup Orange Juice
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, diced (optional)
1 cup Tomato, diced
1 Avocado, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Clamato Juice (optional)
Tabasco Sauce (optional)

Steam Shrimp for 1 minute then remove and place in a bowl. Then add the Lemon, Lime and Orange juice, stir and let it marinade for 20 minutes. Chop all the remaining ingredients and combine in a separate bowl. Add the Salt and Pepper, then stir. Strain the Shrimp but add 1/4 cup of the juice to the vegetable bowl and add the shrimp, then stir. Serve Shrimp Ceviche with Tostada Shells, Corn Chips or in a Glass With Clamato over the top.

How to Make Chili Oil

The Best Chili Oil

Chili Oil is made about once a month, in a large Chinese Restaurant I use to work for, and this literally is the way it’s done. It’s very straight forward and easy to make. Of course the Restaurant required more volume so I’ve Dumbed this recipe down quite a bit just to give you what you need for your kitchen. You can use this oil to spice up many of you’re favorite recipes and it can be added through out the cooking process or served as condiment for individuals to add to their specific tastes.

Chili Oil Ingredients:

1 cup Red Chili’s
2 cups Canola Oil

To make Chili Oil, combine Oil add Red Chili’s in a pan and Heat Oil to 180 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 5 minutes, then kill the heat and let it rest 2 to 3 hours before straining. Other ingredients can be added, if you want more flavor than just the heat. Garlic and Ginger are great examples but the possibilities are endless.

Poor the oil into your favorite receptacle or mason jar for safe storage. On a side Note, this can irritate your eyes when it’s cooking, so it’s not a bad idea to cook this outside if you have an outside burner on a barbecue or something. And if you want more potency, crush the red chili’s up and cook with the lid off until there is a Red hue to the Chili Oil.