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Torn and Fried Sweet Potatoes with Maple Bacon Aioli

The sweet potatoes are torn instead of cut to give them lots of ragged edges for crisping in the hot healthy frying fat. The maple bacon aioli makes the perfect dreamy dipper!
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Torn and Fried Sweet Potatoes

  • 8 large sweet potatoes, washed well (and cut any bad spots off)
  • 1.5-2 pounds frying fat, we like lard or tallow
  • Sea salt for sprinkling on top

Maple Bacon Aioli

  • 3 Egg yolks, pastured eggs are best
  • 1/2 Lemon, (juice)
  • 1 Tablespoon Sherry vinegar (or any vinegar)
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon or grainy mustard, or any mustard is fine
  • 3/4 teaspoon Sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons Bacon grease, melted
  • 1 cup Avocado oil
  • 3-4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
  • 1-2 handfuls Flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 5-6 pieces Bacon, finely chopped, pastured bacon is best

Instructions

Torn and Fried Sweet Potatoes

  • You'll need to do this first part at least 3 hours before you want to eat, or you could do it the day before if you'd like.
  • Bake potatoes in the oven until you poke a fork in them and it goes in easily, about an hour on 350*. Let cool at least 2 hours so you can safely handle them.
  • Using your hands, tear potatoes into bite-sized pieces (leaving skin on) and set on a cookie sheet.
  • Heat your fat to 375*. I use my favorite pan for this.  (We use this thing several times a week!)
  • Drop a few potato pieces at a time into the fat and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking rack over another cookie sheet to catch any fat that drips off.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with aioli.
  • If you're not serving these with the aioli, try adding some shredded parmesan on top as soon as they come out of the fat so it'll melt and be all dreamy!

Maple Bacon Aioli

  • You're basically making a homemade mayo, and then stirring in the last 4 ingredients at the end. Watch my homemade mayo video here and see how I make it in 3 minutes!
  • I use my blender for this but you could also use a hand/stick blender. To whatever bowl you're mixing in, add the yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, sea salt and pepper, and mix well.
  • Slowly drizzle in the bacon fat and then the avocado oil, it'll thicken as you go.
  • Stir in the last 4 ingredients (garlic, syrup, parsley and bacon), transfer to a serving bowl if you'd like, and dig in!

Notes

Note that the aioli is a forgiving recipe, use more or less of the ingredients and it'll still be good!  Don't have sherry vinegar?  Just use more lemon juice.  The only thing you have to remember is to drizzle the oil in slowly so the mayo/aioli won't "break", which means it doesn't emusify and you have a greasy mess.  If that happens, find out here how to save it!
I wonder if these potatoes would be good in the air fryer too?  If you try it, please let me know!