Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a great week and are gearing up for an amazing weekend! I will be heading back to spend time with some friends and family at the Crabtree Fireworks in Westmoreland county. If you are in Westmoreland county, I highly suggest you check out this amazing event! I have attended this festival consistently now for the past 8 years and can attest to how incredible this fireworks show really is in real time. Trust me, you don’t want to miss these fireworks!
Speaking of festivities, I have been invited by a life long friend of mine to attend her annual BBQ that will run during the day leading up to the fireworks display. I was asked to bring one of my favorite side dishes along with me to “add to the awesomeness” of the party. In my opinion, nothing pairs better with BBQ and other grilled foods than sweet potato fries. Restaurant style sweet potato fries can often be breaded and deep fried in some not so fun oils, so allow me to alleviate both of those problems. Here’s the smoky creole sweet potato fries recipe that is guaranteed to make your next grill day a hit! Please note, this batch serves roughly 3-5 people.
Smokey Creole Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into about 1/4 inch strips
2-3 eggs, cracked and whipped into a bowl
1 cup Konriko Creole Seasoning (certified gluten free)
Copious amounts of Bacon fat (see pictures and directions below)
Directions
Peal and slice sweet potatoes. Once sweet potatoes are sliced and ready, grab your bacon fat and begin to melt it in your cast iron pan (cast iron is essential here). Bacon 
fat should be rendered from the left over drippings of previous bacon strips. The bacon fat will add to the smokey flavor of the fries and have them come out nice and crispy and not too soggy as if they were baked. (Note: The picture to the left shows the amounts of bacon fat included in the recipe. I said “copious” amounts above, but this probably equates to roughly 1 cup of bacon fat). Once the bacon fat is melted, coat sweet potatoes in egg wash and then dust with creole seasoning (note: creole seasoning should be in a separate plate for dusting). Once fries are coated and dusted, place them in the pan and fry up n batches. Fries normally take anywhere from 3-5 minutes (1.5-2 minutes per side) depending on how crispy you want them to be. Be sure t watch the pan and flip over the fries when one side is done. Have a separate plate lined with parchment paper or a paper towel ready to set the fries down. Let them cool for roughly 2-3 minutes before serving.
When everything is fried up and ready to go, you end up with something that looks as 
fabulous as this! Don’t they look delicious? I may have to whip up a batch right now! 🙂
Have a great weekend everyone! Remember to eat smart, train hard, and enjoy your life!
Love Always,
Janelle Pica, RKC
