Za’atar Spiced Sweet Potato Fries and Sun-dried Tomato Tahini Dip

Healthy, baked sweet potato fries spiced with za’atar and smoked paprika and served with a creamy dip made with greek yogurt, sun-dried tomatoes, and tahini. A perfect snack, side dish, or meal on it’s own.

I’m slightly obsessed with sweet potatoes. I love them in all different kinds of ways: baked and loaded with goodies; as noodles in a stir fry; roasted with other root veggies; or in a hash for an ultimate breakfast.

But my absolute favorite way to make them is as a good ole French fry.

I’m always trying to keep my dishes lighter and healthier, so I always bake my fries, instead of actually frying them. You need a lot less oil to bake sweet potato fries, so they are much much healthier than the fried version.

The only disadvantage to baking the fries is it is harder to achieve a crispy texture. But I have solved that problem with a little trick I learned….which I will share in just a minute.

Another reason I love baked sweet potato fries is you can experiment with different spice blends to mix it up. Sometimes I keep it super simple and classic and just sprinkle salt and pepper and serve it with some ketchup.

Sometimes I get a little wild and add a delicious spice blend of Za’atar and smoked paprika and serve it with a super creamy delicious sun-dried tomato and tahini dip. Like I did today. And so so excited to share with all of you.

Let’s get to cooking. 

Ok, it’s time to share my secret for achieving a crispy baked sweet potato fry. You soak them in cold, salted water for at least an hour before baking. Why, you ask?! Well it helps remove some of the starch in the sweet potato, which will achieve maximum crispiness.

The second secret: adding a little cornstarch! After the sweet potatoes have soaked, remove them from the water and pat completely dry. Add the fries to a baggy or bowl and drizzle with olive oil and a little cornstarch. Shake or stir until the fries are complete coated. The cornstarch helps add a little crispy crust on the fries while they bake.

Add a little more oil to the bag or bowl and the remaining spices and stir/shake until all the fries are covered in the delicious spice blend.

Most of the flavor comes from the Za’atar, a middle eastern spice blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. It’s fragrant, earthy, and a little nutty. I also added a little smoked paprika to round out the flavors and add some smokiness to the dish.

Bake the fries for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. I check on the fries every 10 minutes to toss the fries with a spatula to make sure they brown evenly. After the fries are baked, sprinkle a little more sea salt on top of the fries to finish.

Now time to make the delicious, creamy dip.

This dip is made with greek yogurt, tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, Worcester sauce, and sea salt.

To make the dip, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. To thin out the sauce, add a little water, one tablespoon at a time. I prefer a thicker dip, so I only added 4 tablespoons of water. If you prefer a thinner dip, keeping adding an extra tablespoon of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Add the beautiful, crispy fries to a serving platter. Pour the creamy, dreamy dip in to a bowl. Now, serve your delicious treat and eat it up!

Warning: these fries and dip are seriously addicting. You may eat the whole plate in one sitting.

The fries are perfectly crispy and popping with flavor from the za’atar and smoked paprika. The dip is creamy from the greek yogurt, slightly sweet and earthy from the sun-dried tomatoes, and balanced with the bitter, nuttiness of the tahini. All together, it’s a delicious bite.

These are perfect for an afternoon snack, a side dish, or even as a meal itself.

I hope you love them!

For more healthy delicious recipes, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram, or check out what I’m pinning on Pinterest.

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Zaatar Spiced Sweet Potato Fries with Sun-died Tomato Tahini Dip

Healthy, baked sweet potato fries spiced with zaatar and smoked paprika and served with a creamy dip made with greek yogurt, sun-dried tomatoes, and tahini. A perfect snack, side dish, or meal on it's own. 

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings 2

Author Dani

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 large sweet potato cut into fries
• 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons zaatar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Sundried Tomato Tahini Dip

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• ¼ cup sundried tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons water more or less depending on desired consistency
• 2 tablespoons Worchester
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Soak the cut sweet potato fries in cold salted water for 1-4 hours.
2. Rinse fries and pat completely dry.
3. Add fries in a ziplock bag or large bowl. Drizzle olive oil on fries and cornstarch and shake/stir until all the fries are coated. Add in a little more oil and remaining spices and shake/stir until all the fries all well-coated.
4. Bake fries in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, checking and moving the fries around occasionally. The fries are done when they are golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove cooked fries to a platter. Top with chopped parsley and extra seat salt.
6. While the fries bake, you can make the dip. Combine all of the ingredients except the water and blend in a food processor until smooth. Add in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until reach desired consistency. I added in 4 tablespoons for a smooth, but thicker dip. Add in more water if you want a thinner consistency. Pour dip into a serving bowl.
7. Serve dip with fries. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I highly recommend soaking the sweet potato before baking as it helps remove some of the starch from the potato and leads to a crispier fry. But you can skip this step if you do not have time and need to make the sweet potatoes right away.

I like a thicker dip, so I only added 4 tablespoons of water. If you wanted a thinner consistency, add one tablespoon extra of water at a time until you reach desired consistency. 

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