Rustic Sweet Potato Fries

Nothing says Happy New Year like sweet potato fries! This recipe, which comes from the Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook - Back to Basics - was featured at our locally-produced New Year's Eve feast. I had two sweet potatoes and one pound of ground beef leftover from the big feast, so last night I made mini-meatloaves and, for the second night in a row, sweet potato fries.

As you may remember from the spring and summer, in 2008 I planted a garden for the first time. Although the garden was part success and part disaster, my sweet potato crop turned out okay. One of my resolutions for 2009 is to manage my garden better - and plant my sweet potatoes earlier - so hopefully this year I'll have an even better sweet potato crop. When you make sweet potato fries two nights in a row, they go fast!

Rustic Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar OR maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into strips. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. Spread the potatoes in one layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve hot.
- Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics