While getting groceries feels like a post-apocalyptic experience right now, I noticed that everyone and their mother decided to purchase all the sweet potatoes and potatoes as part of their stash. I managed to snag a few and since I already love sweet potatoes, I was thinking up a new way to use them that I haven’t tried yet.
That’s when I thought of doing the at-home equivalent of sweet potato fries. But to be honest, I hate frying anything at home. It’s messy and it usually stinks up the whole house. So I decided to bake these and the combo of the seasoned wedges and the jalapeno ranch is killer. I’m a saucy girl. Everything needs a sauce, right?!
When you cut the sweet potatoes into wedges, there are really no rules. You can cut them in whatever shape you’d like, just trim the ends and keep the skin on. My cutting board has seen better days…
Once you’ve got them cut into wedges, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley. Yes, the parsley can be left out if you don’t have any. But the combination of lime juice and chili powder with the sweetness of the potato is what makes these full of flavor… so don’t skip that!
Spread them out evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake them at 430 degrees for 35 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you’d like them. Try not to crowd them on the baking sheet. I used two baking sheets to spread them out. If you crowd them, they will steam instead of crisp.
While the wedges are baking, you can mix together the Jalapeno Ranch. I am pretty picky about ranch. I don’t mean to be dramatic (ok, yes I do…) but bottled ranch is the absolute worst. It’s so much better home made and it took me a while to nail down a good recipe. I usually add a different element to the basic ranch recipe each time I make it and I just felt like jalapeno would play well with the chili lime flavor of the wedges. I was right, I love anything spicy and this hit the spot.
Two things to remember when making ranch from scratch: 1 – fresh herbs really do make a difference. You can substitute for dried if that’s all you have but if you cook a lot, I would really recommend just purchasing a few small fresh herb plants and keeping them alive for regular use. Fresh herbs really take cooking to a new level. You don’t know what you’re missing! 2 – if you plan on storing ranch in the fridge and using it more than a couple days later, use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Fresh raw garlic becomes more potent in the fridge. So I would recommend only making a small amount of ranch for this recipe and not trying to store leftover sauce. It’s better fresh with fresh garlic but it doesn’t keep well that way.
Yep, I’m still using a hand mixer whisk to whisk sauces together. I do have other real whisks, I just prefer using this one. (insert laughing emoji)
When the wedges are ready, serve them hot with the sauce on the side. Such an easy recipe with limited dishes and a whole lot of flavor. I made these with a friend over and we were legit fighting over who would get the last few wedges. They’re SO GOOD.
Chili Lime Sweet Potato Wedges & Jalapeno Ranch
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Jalapeno Ranch:
- 1/3 cup Duke's Mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh jalapeno, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp milk, or more depending on desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 430 degrees. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment and set aside.
- Trim and discard the ends of the sweet potatoes. Slice potatoes into wedge shapes and toss them in a large bowl with the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Spread them out evenly on the prepared baking sheets and try not to overcrowd them.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until desired crispiness.
- While the sweet potatoes are baking, whisk together all the ranch ingredients in a small bowl except the milk. Add the milk last to thin the mixture to desired consistency. I usually start with 1 tbsp and and up putting 2 tbsp.
- When the wedges are done, serve them hot on a platter with ranch on the side for dipping.
