We have previously discussed my obsession love for homemade ranch dressing. Or straight-off-the-shelf-in-a-squeeze-bottle ranch dressing. And I know you guys love it, too – it’s consistently in the top 10 recipes visited here.

And if you like the spicy, smokey flavors of chipotle peppers, you’re going to love this version, too.

We’ve been keeping a jar of Chipotle Ranch Dressing in the fridge lately, instead of the regular ranch or my absolute favorite – Chuy’s-inspired creamy jalapeno.

The spicy, smokey flavors transform a boring grilled chicken salad into a reason to actually crave salad. Because I just don’t do that normally. We use it instead of mayo or mustard on our Texican burgers. And the cool, spicy sauce makes a rockstar dipper for sweet potato fries.

We bake our sweet potato fries in a spice mix. I don’t like to coat them with anything else and have gotten pretty good results (read: not floppy fries) using the method below. But a naked sweet potato fry will never, ever be crispy like a white potato fry. A fact I’ll happily accept as long as there’s a bowl of chipotle ranch nearby.

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Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing infused with smokey, spicy chipotle peppers is the perfect dipper for baked sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

• For the chipotle ranch dressing:
• 3/4 cup mayo (low fat is fine)
• 3/4 cup sour cream (low fat is fine, I replace half or all with fat-free Greek yogurt)
• 2-3 canned chipotle peppers with 1 Tbsp sauce
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 small bunch of chives
• Small handful of cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (optional)
• For the sweet potato fries:
• 3-4 Tbsp oil (coconut recommended)
• 1 lb sweet potatoes (2 medium, no longer than ~5-6 inches long)
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder (substitute regular chile powder if you can
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• Dash of cinnamon
• Pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, place all dressing ingredients except the buttermilk in a blender.
2. Blend for 10 seconds. Check consistency and blend in buttermilk if desired (less buttermilk for dipping, more for dressing).
3. Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge for a week or more.
4. To make the fries, coat a baking sheet with 3 Tbsp of oil, adding the last Tbsp if necessary. (I like the flavor of coconut oil with sweet potato fries).
5. Preheat the oven and baking sheet to 450. (This is a little over the smoking point of moist cooking oils, including coconut. You want enough to nicely coat the baking sheet, not pool - this will keep it from smoking too much.)
6. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks (no longer than ~5 inches long).
7. In a large zipper bag, mix the dry spices together.
8. Add the sweet potato fries, zip close, and shake to coat the fries evenly.
9. Carefully put the fries onto the baking sheet and bake for ~20 minutes, flipping halfway through - this is easier to do by shaking the pan if you place the fries parallel to the long side of the pan, a couple of back-and-forth shakes and you're done.
10. Turn on the broiler for the last 1-2 minutes, just until the tips of the fries begin to turn black. Don't walk away - they can burn in no time.
11. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate in a single layer until ready to serve.

Notes

Yields: ~4 servings of fries and ~2 cups of dressing

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 35 minutes