Vitamin A-packed sweet potatoes make an appearance on many Thanksgiving tables, most likely in a sugary, marshmallowy dish or a pie that doesn’t much resemble a sweet potato anymore. But these orange root vegetables make for tasty eats all year long. Personally, I enjoy sweet potatoes baked whole or sliced into oven fries. What a delicious and nutritious substitute to the fast food staple!

When I stumbled upon this recipe in FITNESS magazine (of course a favorite publication of mine!), I knew I had to give it a shot. It’s so simple and fairly quick—it’ll seem easy to grab an order of these rather than hit the drive thru!

Here’s how I make the recipe for one…feel free to multiply for a larger crowd.

Wash and peel one medium-sized sweet potato. You can leave the skin on for extra nutrition, but the skin gets quite chewy after baking.

Slice the potato in sticks, not too thick (they’ll be a bit mushy and undercooked) and not too thin (they’ll burn and blacken).

Arrange the sliced potatoes on a foil-lined sheet pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Now it’s time to add some spice: mix 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. paprika and 1/4 tsp. black pepper and evenly sprinkle this mixture over the fries. Place them in a 425* oven for about 20 minutes, or until browned and beginning to crisp (flip once halfway through).

All that’s left is to grab a plate and your appetite! These sweet potato fries are so well spiced that I don’t think any dippers are even necessary, but feel free if that’s your style ;).

The finished product next to their magazine debut in FITNESS. A perfect “better burger” accompaniment!

Do you have a go-to healthy side dish?