"Elegance and deadliness --- these are the hallmarks of the crimson-clad Royal Guard that accompanied the galaxy's sovereign at all times." - starwars.com
Elegance, deadliness, and an awesome recipe for oven-baked sweet potato fries.
Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
1-2 sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mexican seasoning / ground chipotle
salt and pepper
First off, wash and dry your sweet potato. This one is gigantic, so one will suffice.
Trim off the ends of the sweet potato, and cut right down the middle. Then you have a nice stable flat surface so you can stand the potato up. (A good strategy that works for cutting all round things - cut the thing in half, so there's a flat side. Then stand it up on the flat side. Round things roll, and with knives around... well, your fingers will thank me.)
Then chop the potato into french fry-type shapes. You can do big wedges, skinny fries, whatever. Just make sure they're all relatively the same size. The guards like to leave the skin on for a more rustic-looking fry, but you shouldn't feel obligated.
Put the pieces into a big bowl and add the olive oil. Mix to coat, and then add your seasonings.
Palpatine is a big fan of Mexican food (who knew?), so they tend to make spicy fries. I had some "Mexican seasoning" and ground chipotle kicking around the pantry, so we went with that. (What's "Mexican seasoning?" Chili powder, onion, tomato powder, paprika, cumin, garlic, cilantro, oregano, cayenne, kitchen sink, and lemon peel, apparently.) Again, don't let the Emperor's taste preferences dictate. Add whatever seasonings you're in the mood for. Then get your hands dirty, and mix it all up.
Spread evenly onto a sheet pan lined with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Get in there every 10 minutes and move the fries around so they cook evenly. Let them get slightly caramelized, and voila!
Spicy Sweet Potato Fries! And that green stuff is just a mashed up avocado with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Not a bad dip, Royal Guards. Not bad at all.