Sweet potatoes never quite live up to the crisp reputation of their starchier cousins. Well, not anymore. Here we use cornmeal (make sure it is finely ground—this is no job for polenta) to play sensory tricks, giving these wedges a pervasive crunch. The nutritional yeast adds a lip-smacking, chicken-bouillon-like quality to the whole operation, for a taste reminiscent of KFC’s dearly departed potato wedges. Greasing the baking sheet with butter before adding the oiled potatoes ensures deeply browned surfaces.
What you’ll need
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls, Set of 6
$39 $36 At Amazon
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
2–4 servings
Ingredients
⅓
1
¼
2
1
2
1
1
½
½
2
5
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in lowest position in oven and preheat to 425°. Stir ⅓ cup mayonnaise and 1 Tbsp. malt vinegar or sherry vinegar in a small bowl to combine. Cover and chill sauce until ready to serve.
Step 2
Stir together ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 2 Tbsp. fine cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp. paprika, ½ tsp. ground cumin, and ½ tsp. sugar in a small bowl.
Step 3
Toss 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), scrubbed, cut into ½"-thick wedges, with 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large bowl to coat. Add yeast mixture and toss to coat (mixture will be thick; keep tossing to ensure potatoes are fully coated).
Step 4
Generously grease a large rimmed baking sheet with room-temperature unsalted butter. Arrange sweet potatoes, cut side down, on baking sheet and roast until golden brown underneath and almost tender, 15–20 minutes. Turn over and continue to roast until potatoes are golden brown on second side and tender, 6–8 minutes longer.
Step 5
Transfer sweet potatoes to a platter. Serve with mayo sauce for dipping.