This is the recipe for the most perfectly crisp Sweet Potato Fries and savory sweet Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce. The sweet potato fries are unlike any you’ve ever tried. The Japanese potato variety and cooking method allow these fries to become ultra crispy and not overly sweet – the perfect combo to dip into a Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce. No one will guess that this recipe is completely gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and paleo friendly.

AIP Sweet Potato Fries with Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce

Every year it’s the same: November rolls around, just about 5 weeks into the fall season, and sure enough I’m already completely bored with roasted veggies.

If you can relate, I have a trick for you to try. Instead of tossing those sweet potatoes into the oven and then force feeding yourself yet another mushy side dish, do this instead. First, forget about your go-to sweet potato, the jewel yam. The Japanese variety has more of a neutral flavor, and tends to crisp better in the oven.

First, slice your Japanese sweet potatoes into ribbons and throw them into a bowl of cool water. Let them sit in there for about an hour to draw out the excess starch (this will help to keep them crispy). Add a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease to the bowl along with your favorite seasonings, and give them a good rub down. Throw those onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and into the oven for 25-35 minutes, and boom! Roasted sweet potatoes in the form of everyone’s favorite treat, french fries.

I’ve used this same oven roasted veggie fry recipe with pretty much every starchy veggie under the sun: Japanese sweet potato, beets, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, the list goes on. While this process and recipe is pretty much foolproof when it comes to making oven baked veggie fries, the real star of the show here is the Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce.

The Bacon Jam is the perfect combination of smoky, savory, and, dare I say… bacon-y. Surprisingly, it’s not so sweet as to be an unfit companion for sweet potato fries. In fact, it might just be a more appropriate match for them than your standard ketchup. Plus, it’s totally AIP friendly! You seriously won’t regret trying this combo.

Japanese Sweet Potato Fries

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

3 large Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp bacon grease (reserved while making bacon jam), plus ¼ cup for frying (optional)
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

2 packages bacon
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ cup high quality balsamic vinegar (find it here)
½ cup pure, grade B maple syrup (find organic grade B maple syrup here)
2 tsp sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay bacon slices out in a single layer. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until bacon is crispy. Lay out on paper towels to cool. Reserve bacon grease.
Add 2 tablespoons bacon grease to a large skillet and heat to medium low.
Add the onions to skillet and stir to coat with grease. From here, you’ll want to leave the onions to cook over medium low heat to caramelize very slowly. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour.
When the onions are golden brown in color, deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat to cool.
Add the bacon, caramelized onions, remaining balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt to a food processor and pulse until the jam is desired consistency.
Store the bacon jam in a sealed jar, and refrigerate for up to a week.

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Sweet Potato Fries with Bacon Jam Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

3 large Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp bacon grease (reserved while making bacon jam), plus ¼ cup for frying (optional)
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

Slice your fries into roughly same size so they cook evenly. Cutting them to about ¼-inch thickness seems to work the best in yielding a crispy outside and soft inside.
For about 45 minutes, you’ll want to soak the sliced, raw fries in cold water. This will draw out excess starch, which will result in a crispier fry. This is an optional step, but I highly encourage it.
After soaking fries for 45 minutes, rinse and add to a large bowl. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease (reserved from the dipping sauce) onto the fries, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Use your hands to coat the fries evenly with grease, sea salt, and garlic.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay coated fries in an even layer. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes before rotating fries on the sheet. Return to oven for another 10 minutes, or until golden in color. Remove from oven.
Optional: Heat remaining ¼ cup bacon grease over medium high heat in a large skillet. When the grease it hot, add a couple of handfuls of fries to the skillet. Let cook for a few minutes before removing onto paper towels to dry. Immediately after removing from skillet, sprinkle with coarse sea salt.