Berbere-Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

“What’s berbere and why is it on my sweet potato fries?” you’re probably asking.

Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend that’s made up of a ridiculous amount of whole spices, toasted, and ground. I’d like to say I keep the spices whole because it keeps them fresher until you make the actual dish, but mostly I toasted them and then tried to grind them only to realize my blender wasn’t working and I’m horrible with a plastic bag and a heavy saucepan. I did a lot of banging, probably disturbed the neighbours, swore in both official languages, and then gave up and put the slightly crushed spices that I didn’t use in the first recipe for which I needed this spice blend back in the container. Until now.

Now I have an actual spice grinder. Hurray! I wanted to make sweet potato fries, which normally just means a little cayenne, salt and pepper, but I figured garam masala would work (cinnamon and cloves for warming). Instead, I came upon this blend in my pantry ready to be ground and sprinkled (cinnamon for heat – yes. Fenugreek for bitterness – yes!). So I hacked up some garlic (which I knew would burn during high-heat roasting but I didn’t really care) and tossed my sweet potatoes (cut into fries) with some olive oil and the (actually ground this time) spice blend.

Into the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 5-10 depending on the thickness of the fries. If you want to skimp on the oil (I use just a tablespoon or so) so you can cover the sweet potatoes with a second baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper or aluminium foil for half of the cooking time. This way they’re a little more steamed (aka “less delicious”) but they won’t burn. Since I could eat an entire baking sheet of these in one sitting it’s sometimes best for me to lower the fat content…Your call.

Berbere-Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into fries

2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 tbsp berbere spice blend:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 8 cloves
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds, removed from the pod
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 8 small red dried chilies
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp paprika

1. Toast the cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, fenugreek, coriander seeds and chilies in an oil-free frying pan over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until aromatic and slightly browned (about 3-4 minutes)

2. Leave to cool completely before grinding in a spice grinder with the ginger, allspice, turmeric, salt, cinnamon and paprika until you have a fine powder. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Note that the recipe above only calls for 2 tsp! Not the whole thing or you’ll be coughing up spices!

Then coat the fries with the oil and the spice blend and bake as indicated above.