Sweet Potatoes - The New Every Day Food

Sweet potatoes are incredibly delicious and very versatile in the kitchen. They can be found in appetizers, soups, salads, breads, side dishes, entrees and desserts. Easy to prepare, they can be cooked using a number of methods including being fried, baked, roasted, broiled, grilled, sauteed, stir-fried, boiled, or steamed. The outer skin is edible, it is a matter of personal choice as to whether you remove them or not; or do as directed in the recipe you are following. A holiday staple in such treats as pies and casseroles, some additional ideas include Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce Recipe; Apple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins; Bayou Teche Pork and Sweet Potato Breakfast Sausage; Quick Sweet Potato Pie.

A root vegetable, the sweet potato is highly nutritious, containing high quantities of essential vitamins and nutrients including: vitamins A and C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and folic acid. A 1-cup cooked serving provides 4 grams of high quality vegetable protein. Sweet potatoes can be found in supermarkets and specialty produce stores in two major varieties. One variety is the large, sweet and moist, dark orange flesh variety with reddish orange skin often referred to as yams, although they are not technically yams. Yams are distinctly different in every way to the sweet potato. The other variety has yellow, dry, mealy flesh with a beige skin.

Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark location, and never in the refrigerator. Store them loosely, unwrapped, and handle them carefully to avoid bruising. When ready to use, they just need to be rinsed to remove any loose dirt and if necessary give them a light scrubbing with a vegetable scrubber. If desired the skins can be removed with a vegetable peeler. The sweet potato can be eaten raw, unlike regular potatoes which require cooking to be consumed. Peel and grate to serve in salads or for use as a garnish for soups.

You can cook and serve plain or slightly seasoned sweet potatoes a dozen ways. When recipes call for cooked sweet potatoes, it is a matter of personal choice, time or equipment constraints, or how much moisture the sweet potatoes need to retain after cooking. Baking, roasting, or grilling can remove a good deal of the potatoes natural moisture. These methods generally take a little more time than other methods. Steaming, boiling or microwaving for example, retain more of the moisture and take less cooking time. You just need to follow the advice of your recipe, or think about the end result and which method is the best one for you.

Sweet potatoes should be a regular part of everyones diet because they are one of the most nutritious vegetables you can choose. They are quick to prepare and cook, and taste delicious. Other flavors and seasonings are absorbed easily into the flesh making them ideal for working with and creating new and exciting dishes. Hot off the grill or oven fried fries are always a good choice, or perhaps some try a new dish.

Sweet potatoes are delicious and healthy. Check out our growing collection of sweet potato recipes representing the best the culinary world has to offer. Find the perfect sweet potato recipe to serve during the holidays or for any occasion.