Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

These Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Wedges are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and dipped in a roasted garlic mayo sauce.

These sweet potato wedges were first born years ago, back when I was doing my masters in the Netherlands. I was commuting for literally five hours a day, and the closest I came to a workout at that time was sprinting to catch various forms of public transportation.

I would often keep a stash of candies in my bag for “chocolate emergencies”. And in those days, so much as a strong cold breeze constituted a chocolate emergency. Alas, they were not the healthiest of times, so anytime I could easily make a switch to a healthier option, I did.

Enter baked sweet potato wedges. These are seriously a powerhouse potato. Though they have about the same about of carbs as white potatoes, they have more fiber, twice the vitamin C, and WAY more vitamin A. Hubba hubba!

And if there’s one thing I love more than talking about how darn healthy sweet potatoes are, it’s eating them. So today we’re making oven roasted sweet potatoes into crispy, autumn-time yumminess.

How to make crispy sweet potato fries

Right off the bat, we’re going to soak the sweet potatoes in cold water for a little bit. This draws out a lot of extra starches, which will help make them super crispy. We’ll then lightly coat them in cornstarch for added crunch, dust them with spices, then bake.

While our sweet potato wedges are baking, we’re also going to be roasting a head of garlic to go in our dipping sauce (because what are potato wedges without a good dip?)

If you haven’t roasted garlic before, you need to hop on this train stat. Roasting garlic transforms it from a tangy flavor to, well, one of the best flavors in the world (to put it lightly).

Once the sweet potatoes have cooked and the garlic has roasted, we’ll quickly whip together mayo and the garlic to make our sauce. The final result is going to be crunchy yet tender, sweet yet savory, hands-down-so-tasty sweet potato wedges that I think you’re really going to love!

Step 1: Soak the potatoes
First up, we’ll wash 3 medium sweet potatoes and cut them into wedges. I find that the easiest way to do this is to cut them in half, and then cut each half into 4 pieces lengthwise. From here, place the wedges in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to an hour.

Step 2: Shake and coat the wedges
Once the wedges have soaked for a good amount of time, drain the water and pat them dry. Place them in a large plastic baggie and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the bag. Seal it shut and shake shake shake. The potatoes should be lightly, evenly coated, and you can add more cornstarch as necessary. Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and shake again to coat.

Step 3: Prepare the garlic
Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Remove the excess paper from a head of garlic, leaving the cloves intact. Cut just the top off of the head of garlic to expose the tops of the cloves. Place the head of garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil into the exposed cloves. Wrap the head in foil, then throw it on the racks of your preheating oven.

Step 4: Bake the wedges
Place the wedges in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with 2 tbsp of oil and bake for 15 minutes. Flip each wedge over, and then bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy.

The garlic should be roasting in the oven this whole time.

Step 4: Let the potatoes crisp
Turn off the oven and slightly prop open the door. Allow the fries to crisp for 10 more minutes.

Step 5: Mix the garlic and lemon juice
While the fries crisp up, combine 6 cloves of the roasted garlic with ½ cup of mayonnaise and 1 tsp lemon juice.

Step 6: Garnish and serve
Finally, remove the fries from the oven, sprinkle with some flaky sea salt, and serve with roasted garlic mayo!

How to Use an air fryer

Air Fryer People are passionate. If it can be air fried, it’s going in the air fryer, and I get it! It’s quick, easy, and tastes delish. Well, luckily enough, these can totally be air fried. The prep is a little bit different (like thin fry shapes vs. wedges) but it’s just as simple! Here is how it’s done.

More savory sweet potato recipes to try

The sweet potato meals and snacks definitely don’t stop here! Here are some more of my favorites.

• Smashed Potato Smashers with Roasted Grapes
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
• Sweet Potato Smoothie
• Vegetarian Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble and Meringue
• Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Rhubarb never met a sweet potato she didn’t like.