Vegan Practically

I will not presume that you need comfort food as much as I need comfort food this week. But if you do, I’m here to help. I haven’t been feeling especially picky with what I reach for as comfort this week. Anything with carbs will do. So far that has included a fair bit of chocolate, my favourite new discovery of date-filled cookies by Lula, Twizzlers, a rava masala dosa from my favourite South Indian restaurant, chana masala and rice from the same restaurant, all the crackers and hummus on hand, a stacked sandwich of Montreal Smokin’ slices from Great Veggie Bites heaped onto light rye with mustard, tomato, and lettuce, and the star of today’s post: a great big batch of air fryer sweet potato fries.

We all have our own ideas of what types of foods bring comfort, but in general for me it’s a combination of hearty and delicious. That’s a combo that makes me feel good, cozy, and safe. That’s a lot to ask for from a food, but sweet potato fries (maybe with something else, like a burger) deliver. It’s the little crunch and the dipping that bring them home for me.

You don’t need an air fryer to make sweet potato fries. But if you have one, they might get a little bit crisper and be ready more quickly. Just slice them how you like them, toss them in some olive oil or canola oil and salt, and air fry them at 380 degrees F for about 10 minutes, toss them around a bit and put them back in for another 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them because they burn more easily than regular potatoes. If you’re using a regular oven, you could go to 400 degrees F and cook them a few minutes longer before and after you toss them around.

I like mine with ketchup. But other dips will do too, like BBQ sauce, sriracha mayo (mix a bit of sriracha with some vegan mayo), buffalo mayo (mix a bit of Frank’s red hot with some vegan mayo), vegan ranch, maple dijon mayo (mix a bit of dijon and some maple syrup with some vegan mayo), or even just tahini (either straight up or with a splash of lemon juice mixed in).

The other thing sweet potato fries have going for them as a comfort food is how easy they are to whip up. Unlike things like mac and cheese, chili, or dilly stew, which take some advance planning, time and effort, you can have sweet potato fries within 30 minutes or so of thinking about them. That’s not bad at all — faster than you could probably get from thought-to-table if you did take-out or decided to go eat them at a restaurant.

Enjoy, enjoy!

Bon Appétit!