Finger Lickin' Good

A little over a month ago, I went to the LA County Fair and spent the day eating as many random foods as possible between rounds of laying down bets on the Fairplex horse races. One of the first things I ate that day was yam fries, and I don’t know why, but it really stuck with me. I tried them and it was love at first bite.

It’s no mystery that The Fair specializes in unusual foods. I mean, where else in the world will you find a place that specializes in deep fried foods (frog legs, ice cream bars, twinkies, Oreos, Snickers) next to a booth that specializes in chocolate dipped foods (strawberries, bananas, cotton candy, bacon; and yes, they did serve chocolate-dipped cotton candy and chocolate-dipped bacon)? So knowing that, I figured the yam fries was something I wouldn’t see again, or at least not until the next County Fair.

But A few weeks later, I ate at an Italian restaurant in Claremont and, to my surprise, they had yam fries on the menu. I ordered it and, like before, it was good. With two fixes in my bloodstream, I needed more, and so I started cooking yam fries on my own.

The recipe is simple. You cut up a yam and fry it (or deep fry it) the same way you would French fries. Once they’re done, you season them with, cinnamon, sugar, powdered sugar, honey, maple syrup, or melted marshmallow. Personally, I like all of the above.

I encourage all of you to give it a try. It won’t change your life, but it might change your thoughts about fries.


Here’s my most recent batch, topped with cinnamon and sugar.








Question: Do you have a favorite county fair food?




Currently Listening To: BritPop


Keane – Everything’s Changing and Lily Allen – Everything’s Changing