This was one of the little snacky dishes I made for my vegetarian dinner party a few weeks ago, and I’ve probably made it every other week since. It couldn’t be easier and SOOOOO yummy.
To make the sweet potato fries, I chopped the sweet potato up, tossed the fries in olive oil, salt and pepper and some cayenne, spread it out onto a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil, and stuck it in the oven until things looked soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. If you stick them under the broiler you get that delicious char on the outside from the burnt sugars that come to the surface, but baking them will work too.
I have spent the majority of my life avoiding ranch dressing. I tend to be sensitive to the taste of a lot of preservatives and artificial ingredients, so bottled dressings almost always just taste gross to me, and a vinaigrette is just so easy to make, so I never bothered to make a ranch. But it was necessary to dip the sweet potatoes, so I had to overcome my aversion. Now I’m a great big fan. Without that nasty chemical aftertaste, ranch dressing is just creamy and herby and wonderful.
Mix equal parts heavy cream or buttermilk with mayonnaise and whisk thoroughly. I do about 1/2 C of each for your average salad bowl. Add the juice of 1 lemon, around 1/2 tsp of salt (or more to taste) and a handful of minced herbs. My favorites are parsley, chives, oregano, and some marjoram. Chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend.
Oh YUM. These look fantastic. Im not a huge fan of ranch dressing, but I might have to try your recipe. It sounds tasty!