Baked sweet potato fries

I love french fries. Unfortunately they are bad for you and are usually made with tons of grease, oil, and worst of all, are fried. Normally this would not stop me (see prior posts on garlic lemon potatos and spicy home fries), but I'm getting ready to train for the Army 10 Miler and need to drop some of the weight from the diet "break" I've been on since the Miami 1/2 marathon in January.

What's the alternative to traditional french fries? Baked sweet potato fries! They aren't just nutritious, they taste really good! Hmmm, so fried potatoes or a yummy baked non-greasy version that has vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin A? Now that's a compromise I'm willing to make.

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes, sliced the way you want your fries to look (thick wedges or thin shoestring slices?)
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
pepper

Instructions

Make sure your oven rack is in the upper middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour about 1/2 tablepoon on the baking sheet and distribute evenly using a paper towel so the potatoes don't stick. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the oil, salt, and as much pepper as you want on the fries. Place the potatos on the baking sheet so there is some space between each slice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn them over with a metal spatula and bake for another 15 minutes. Place the potatoes in a paper towel-lined basket to absorb any excess oil and serve immediately.