Crispy Sweet Potato Strings & Thoughts on my Spiralizer

So I finally bit the bullet and purchased this spiralizer I've been eyeing for months.  Before I buy any more kitchen tools that take up a considerable amount of space, I try to think long and hard about how often I would use said tool.  

While I was teetering on the edge of my decision, my best friend's mom made it for me.  Mama Jill (as I like to call her) is doing a lot of free advertising for Williams-Sonoma.  I was standing in her kitchen and before I could ask how she liked it, she produced a zucchini and had it reduced to spaghetti like strands in about 10 seconds flat!  I was officially sold. 

The spiralizer is just so much fun, and it's surprisingly easy to use.  I didn't really expect it to be as easy as it was, especially when it came to spiraling a potato.  In actuality, it took almost no effort, and the thin potato strands make absolutely perfect oven fries. 

I was so excited about my new toy that I pretty  much made an entirely spiralized dinner.  I'm loving the zucchini and squash noodles - although, don't be fooled into thinking they will taste like a noodle!  These would be great mixed in a pad thai or other noodle dish so that you can use less pasta and bulk up the serving with veggies. 

For the zucchini and squash, I just used olive oil to sauté them for a few minutes over medium high heat and they were fork tender with a bit of a bite in under 5 minutes. 

Crispy Sweet Potato Strings:

Ingredients:

* 2 sweet potatoes

* 1.5 tbsp. olive oil

* kosher salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.  Slice the ends off the sweet potato so you have a flat surface and use the spiralizer with the larger size hole.  Toss the spiraled potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, stirring twice, then increase the heat to 450.  Continue to bake until the strings are crispy (5-10 minutes longer).  Enjoy!