What sweet potato fries have to do with a summer barbecue is anyone’s guess, but that’s not our concern. We care about two things in the drive-thru: taste and value. These fries are incredibly delicious, and they won’t bust your bank account. Big-time win-win.

Here’s the blueprint: shoestring sweet potato fries cooked in trans-fat-free vegetable oil, plus lots of salt.

Total calories: 390 in a medium order. Fat grams: 21. Dietary fiber: 5 g. Sodium: 720 mg. Carbs: 48 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $2.39. Your mileage may vary.

Burger King introduced Sweet Potato Fries as a second-fiddle side dish to its new Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwich and Carolina BBQ Whopper. Is this a menu or a geography quiz? But, like an opening act stealing the show from the headliner, Sweet Potato Fries are getting all the raves. And like many opening acts that blow away the headliner, Sweet Potato Fries won’t be around for long. They’re strictly a limited-time-only special. BK will reassess come fall.

I’m all aboard the sweet-potato-fries bandwagon, but I’ve been disappointed by most restaurants’ presentation. The fries are either too soggy, or shriveled or cold. Upscale restaurants and greasy spoons alike can’t seem to get sweet potato fries right. Cold fries? You’re kidding, right?

Burger King, the first national drive-thru to introduce sweet potato fries, does ’em right. They come out of the fryer glistening hot, all crispy and about to explode with sweet flavor. BK covers them with just the right amount of salt.

Get ’em while they’re hot, though. Don’t be afraid to ask for a fresh batch. You can wait an extra couple of minutes. It will be time well spent.

Burger King has tried every trick under the sun to get its regular fries on par with McDonald’s. It’s hard to understand why, but nobody’s been able to duplicate McDonald’s fries — the gold standard.

Now Burger King has gone through the back door and introduced Sweet Potato Fries. I LOVE these fries. This is what that whole “sweet ‘n’ salty” thing is all about. Throw in “crispy and hot,” and you’ve got all the bases covered.

Sweet potato fries are … sweet. They have more natural sugar than a regular potato, and cooking them makes the sweetness pop. I didn’t know whether to put ketchup or a cherry on top of my fries.

BK’s Sweet Potato Fries are deep orange. They’re pretty. And orange food usually tastes good.

OK, Sweet Potato Fries are amazing, but are they a healthy — or healthier — alternative to regular fried spuds?

Depends … but not really. While sweet potatoes provide certain valuable nutrients, like beta carotene and vitamin C, once they go into the fryer, they become fried food, with all the fat and grease associated with frying.

Sweet potato fries match up pretty evenly with regular fries on the nutritionals — 390 calories for sweet and 410 for regular, and 21 fat grams for sweet and 18 for regular.

Most important for Burger King: It’s finally got an edge over McDonald’s, which doesn’t even have sweet potato fries.

Yet.