Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

Make sides the star with these tender and charred Grilled Sweet Potato Fries that are basted in spicy, delicate, and tangy butter. Pillowy on the inside with a lightly crisp crust, these will instantly tantalize your taste buds.

With just a few simple steps these grilled sweet potato fries are the ultimate versatile side you’ll be serving up with everything from Grilled Barbacoa Lamb Chops to a Luthur Burger. They’re so addictive you can easily just serve these up with a cold beer and call it happy hour.

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy Process – There is nothing complicated about making these homemade sweet potato fries. You can even boil your potatoes ahead of time and grill them off when ready to serve making these great for meal prep. 
• Versatility with Flavor – Not only do these go with pretty much anything including your favorite cocktail, but you can also swap out the flavors of the compound butter and play with different seasonings. Have fun making these completely your own!
• Minimal Ingredients – Aside from the sweet potatoes you just need a few basic ingredients like oil, salt, and pepper. These are both budget-friendly and easy to shop for. It’s also just as easy to make a few as it is to feed a crowd.

Recommended Equipment

• Large Pot – These grilled sweet potatoes are boiled initially until almost done before they’re finished off on the grill. Because sweet potatoes are like a sponge that absorbs liquid, we’re cooking them whole. You’ll want a pot that’s large enough to accommodate them without your water spilling over or the potatoes not having room to move. 
• Grill – Absolutely any type of grill will work for this recipe from a classic kettle charcoal grill to a grill pan in your kitchen. The high, direct heat finishes cooking them while giving a slightly crispy exterior and beautiful char marks. 
• Basting Brush – Using a silicone basting brush not only makes it easy to spread the compound butter onto the hot potatoes but is also easy to clean.

How to Grill Sweet Potatoes

1. Par cook your sweet potatoes. Add the whole potatoes to a large pot with enough salted water to cover them. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Allow them to cook until they are almost tender when pierced with a knife, about 10-15 minutes. They shouldn’t be completely cooked through. Drain them and allow them to cool enough to handle.

2. Mix your compound butter. Add the softened butter, honey, chile flakes, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to a bowl. Use a fork to mash the mixture together until combined. If making your potatoes immediately allow the butter to stay out at room temperature.
3. Prep your sweet potato wedges. Once your potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them into 6-8 wedges per potato (see above), depending on the size. You want them chunky enough that they will be easy to grill and flip. The skin will give them texture while packing extra nutrients but you can easily peel off the skin at this point. Brush both sides with a coat of canola oil and season them with salt and pepper.

4. Grill your sweet potato fries. Prepare your grill for direct grilling. Make sure that your grates are clean. If you’re using a grill pan you’ll want to heat it to medium-high. Place the sweet potato wedges on the hot grates.
   
   Allow the first side to grill for about 3 minutes. If they seem to be sticking, give them another minute. Flip the and allow the second side to cook for about the same. You are looking for them to get slightly crispy and attain grill marks. 

5. Brush on the butter. Remove the sweet potato fries from the grill and plate them on a large platter. Immediately brush on the softened compound butter. Sprinkle on a little salt if desired such as flaky sea salt.

Variations for Flavor

This recipe for grilled sweet potato fries is as much about the process as it is about the flavors. Once you have the steps down you can experiment with different combinations. A general guide is you want a little sweetness to accentuate the natural sweetness of the potatoes, a little vibrance for a savory accent, and a pop of heat is always a great counterpoint to the sweet.

Here are a few combinations as well as seasonings that work well with these sweet potato wedges. Because the butter in this recipe is unsalted you can replace the chile flakes with the seasoning options when making your compound butter. Hold off adding additional salt and pepper and taste first.

• Agave syrup and fresh lime zest
• Molasses and fresh orange zest
• Maple syrup and chopped chipotles in adobo
• Korean BBQ Seasoning
• Nashville Hot Seasoning
• Smoky Southwest Dry Rub

Important Tips

• The butter can be made well in advance. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Prior to grilling your potatoes, bring it out and allow it to come to room temperature. This will make it easy to brush onto the potatoes and not bring down the temperature of the hot sweet potatoes.
• Don’t baste with the butter until you remove the wedges from the grill. Not only will it prevent them from getting that slightly crispy exterior, but you risk flare-ups. 
• You can easily use any type of grill for this recipe including a grill pan or skillet. Because the potatoes are cooked almost all the way through prior, you are just finishing them off while giving the exterior texture and color. A charcoal grill will give you the most flavor, however.
• Don’t use a fork to test the doneness of your potatoes. You want to avoid piercing them too many times so you don’t let in additional water or start breaking them down.
• Be careful of overboiling your potatoes. You are not cooking them to the point they easily mash. You want to be able to slice them into wedges and have them retain their shape. 
• Serve your sweet potato fries immediately. They quickly begin to soften as they cool down. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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