Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Lime Dip
This was inspired by a dish we had during a recent trip to Charlotte, NC. When we look for new places to eat we typically use Urban Spoon and read reviews–that’s how we found this place. I have to say, we were pretty disappointed. It was one of those places where the menu read better than the food actually was. One example: mussels steamed in beer with herbs and what-not. Thought it sounded interesting, it wasn’t, pretty gross, actually. We did have one thing, though not very good, we thought we could improve upon–bacon wrapped tater tots. So here you have it, our version:
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks*
- 1 package bacon, don’t use thick cut
- 1/2 c mayo, using avocado oil
- 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
Method
Get your oven to 425°F. Soak the sweet potato matchsticks in a bowl of cold water for up to 6 hours. This removes a lot of the starch from the potato. When you remove the potatoes, you can visibly see white starch granules at the bottom of the bowl. Drain the water from the potatoes and pat dry.
Slice each piece of bacon in half, lengthwise. Wrap 1 strip of bacon around 1 matchstick sweet potato. Lay on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the bacon is gone. If you have left over sweet potatoes, toss ‘em on the pan too, they’ll cook beautifully in all the rendered bacon fat.
For the Dip
In a food processor, pulse up the chipotle(s) and lime juice into the mayo.
Bake the fries for about 25 minutes on one side. You’re looking for browned bacon. Use some tongs to flip the fries over and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until browned.
Squeeze some lime juice on the fries. Serve hot and with the dip.
*You want a thick cut (not thin!) and keep the skin on. Here’s a rough how-to:
This looks yummy, always looking for a snack thx
These are wicked, even without the dip. They turn out to be sweet bacon candy. Thanks?
hahaha—nice. you’re welcome?
I knew there was no way these could be bad! I didn’t even bother with the soaking or the dip. I am suspicious that any long amount of time would give diminishing returns in standing water. I also don’t know if the soaking is a good idea nutritionally because it will leach out water soluble nutrients including a good amount of potassium. It also goes against paleo tradition- from what I have gathered potatoes are normally cooked over a fire without any pre-soaking.
the soaking of the potato isn’t a necessary step, it was something we wanted to experiment with–as soaked white potatoes fry up crisper after they’ve been soaked due to loss of starch.
from my understanding, soaking doesn’t lead to loss of nutrients, so much as overcooking would. as far as water soluble vitamin loss, you’re looking at vitamin b and vitamin c–both of which can easily be consumed by eating citrus, peppers, greens and meat.
Just made these tonight, and they were outstanding!!! Thank you for posting this great recipe.
thanks andrew!!
Yeah, I wouldn’t be concerned about Vitamin C or B vitamins, but potassium is a nutrient that you can’t just eat a lime to get, and those eating large amounts of meat in particular might not want to lose the chance to get potassium from potatoes.
There is some decent information on how to reduce potassium in potatoes available because those with kidney problems have issues with potassium. In practice, sweet potatoes might be different then normal potatoes.
http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223(97)00604-4/abstract
I made it without any soaking. I greased the pan with some leftover bacon grease first instead of using a baking sheet. I think the main aspect of this recipe to get correct is the size of the fry. Too big and I end up either not cooking the fry all the way through or burning it. Too small lets the bacon overpower the fry. I may need to get a mandolin now! I will keep experimenting- I would like to try out lower temperature also.
Just shared this dish with friends now and got a rave review- thanks!
mandolins are the pretty sweet. except when you slice your fingers open–as i’ve neglected to use the guard a few times. it’s a must buy, though!
I made these for a dinner party and they were quite a hit (even if half the attendees were vegetarians). Couldn’t find any avocado oil in the city so instead we made mayo, blended it up with an avocado and added some cumin. Such a treat, thanks for the recipe!
veggies ate them? whoa nelly! very clever fix on the mayo. glad you enjoyed emily!
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Wait a minute, in the ingredient list it says don’t use thick cut bacon but later on says you want thick cut, not thin. Which works better?
yup, beverly is correct, it’s thick cut potatoes.
…and you are very welcome beverly!
It looks like they want a thick cut of the potato, not the bacon.
This looks marvelous! I made bacon-wrapped butternut squash for Thanksgiving, and that dipping sauce sounds like it would send everything just over the top in a very, very good way! Thank you so much for all of your awesome recipes.
These were delicious. I didn’t soak; didn’t make the dip. Delicious on their own!! Even delish cold right out of the frig, I found out before I went to bed last night. These have to be a special treat ==== too good to have around all the time!! Thanks for the great recipe – a delicious addition to lunch or dinner AND a healthy, sweet snack!!! Can’t go wrong!
word to that! thanks mary!