If you don’t live in Southern California, you might not know the magic that is Carne Asada Fries. Imagine a Mexican burrito mashed up with American style french fries- this is exactly what Carne Asada Fries are. My goal here was to figure out a way that Carne Asada fries could be a little healthier so I swapped out regular potato fries with Sweet Potato, used less cheese than other recipes, and substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream. The result is all of the deliciousness of the real thing but with many fewer calories. Enjoy!
What kind of potatoes work best in this recipe?
I chose to use Sweet Potatoes because they are healthier than the average potato. Sweet Potatoes are lower in calories and carbohydrates but higher in fiber. They are also very easy to cook- all you have to do cut, season, and place in an oven… no fryer needed. The most important thing to remember about sweet potato fries is that you need to eat them right when you take them out of the oven. If you wait too long to eat them they will loose their crispness.
What is the best type of cheese to use in this recipe?
My favorite type of cheese to put in any Mexican style recipe is Mexican Style Shredded Cheese. This cheese is made up of a blend of cheeses: Sharp Cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack. My favorite brand is Organic Valley. If you can’t eat cow cheese, I would suggest looking for a goat cheddar. My favorite goat cheddar brand is Mont Chevre– they come in individual sticks or more traditional bars.
What are some great toppings for these Carne Asada Sweet Potato fries?
The best toppings for these Carne Asada Fries are anything that you would normally put in or on a burrito, including guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, rice, beans, or cheese. I also like making my own pico de gallo salsa, made with roma tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Top tips for making these Carne Asada fries:
- When buying steak for this recipe, I suggest buying a thin flank steak and cooking it 3 to 5 minutes per side. The thinner the cut of meat the faster it will cook.
- Make sure you eat the Sweet Potato fries as soon as you take them out of the oven. If you wait too long they might lose their crispness.
- If you love healthy Mexican food then you should try these other Mexican recipes on my blog:
Recipe Video:
Carne Asada Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
For Sweet Potato Fries
- 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder cornstarch can also be used
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
For remaining recipe
- 1 pound carne asada pre-marinated
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo or salsa of your choice
- 1/2 cup guacamole
For Garnish
- sour cream Fage Greek Yogurt as substitute
- Mexican cheese blend shredded
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
Sweet Potato Fries
- Slice sweet potatoes into long, thin strips (approx. 1/4 inch wide). Make sure pieces are uniformly sized so that they cook evenly. Soak the fries in a bowl of water for about 20 minutes to reduce starchiness (makes for crispier fries).
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
- Drain the fries and pat dry. Return to clean, dry bowl.
- Drizzle olive oil over fries and toss until evenly coated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the arrowroot powder, garlic powder and paprika. Add mixture over fries and toss until evenly coated.
- Spread out fries on baking pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. For extra crispiness you can flip fries and cook for about 10 minutes longer.
- Season fries with salt and pepper and cool before serving.
Carne Asada + Remaining Recipe
- Cook pre-marinated carne asada in a pan over medium high heat. Cook on both sides for approx. 5 minutes each side.
- Slice the carne asada into bite sized chunks.
- Assemble dish together by using the fries as the base and topping with carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro.