Sweet Potatoes: the Topic

[Varmint]

I noticed yesterday that the sweet potatoes were plentiful at the farmers market. Sweet potatoes have long been a southern staple, showing up in casseroles, pies, and simply baked.

What are your favorite sweet potato dishes? Are they part of your every day eating or are they reserved for special occasions?

[Al_Dente]

I love em. Don't eat them that often, and I like it plain and simple. Baked with s&p and plenty of butter.

No marshmallows please.

[NVNVGirl]

Hallelujah for Fall! I love sweet potatoes and I have 3 favorite dishes using them. I do eat yams on occasion throughout the year, but it's so hot where I live most of the year that I usually don't really feel like eating either yams or sweet potatoes until it's a little cooler. Here's my favorites:

Two Tone Potatoes Anna

1 1/2 lb yams or sweet potatoes

1 1/2 lb. russet potatoes

10 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 Tbsp (approx) fresh chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel yams and russets. Slice into uniformly thick 1/16" slices. As cut, immerse russet slices in water to prevent browning.

2. Put 2 Tbsp butter into 10" ovenproof nonstick skillet and spread to cover bottom of pan.

3. Drain russets and pat slices dry. Neatly overlap 1/4 of the russet slices to cover pan bottom. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. butter and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Parmesan and 1/4 of the rosemary. Neatly overlap 1/4 of the sweet potato slices over the russets; drizzel with 1 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp of cheese and 1/4 of the rosemary. Repeat layers, alternating russet slices with sweet potato slices, until all the vegetables are in the pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter. Cover pan tightly with foil.

4. Bake on the lowest rack in a 425 deg. F. oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until vegetables are very tender when pierced and edges are brown and crisp, about 35-45 minutes later. Let stand 5-10 minutes.

5. Using a pan lid to hold potatoes in place, drain off any excess butter and save for other uses. Run a knife between pan's sides and potatoes. Invcert a platter over pan; holding together, invert both to release vegetables. Remove pan. Cut into wedges and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.

APPLE, LEEK AND SWEET POTATO GRATIN

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 large leeks, washed and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. chopped frsh thyme, or 2 tsp dried

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A grating of fresh nutmeg

2 large sweet potatoes (~ 1 Lb.), peeled and thinly sliced

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced

Combine the cream, leeks, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer covered 10 minutes. Layer half the sweet potato mixture in a buttered baking dish. Top with the sliced apple. Repeat with sweet potato mixture and cheese. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375 deg F. (190 deg. C) for about 45 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Serves 6-8

SWEET POTATOES WITH TEQUILA AND LIME

2 large (~ 1 lb each) sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

2 Tbsp. Tequila (or more to taste)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (or more to taste)

1/2 stick of butter (4Tbsp.)

Peel and grate potatoes. Melt butter in a skillet. Add sweet potatoes and sugar, mix well and cook, covered over moderate heat. Use spatula to turn mix over every few minutes. In about 15 minutes it should look caramelized. Add tequila and lime juice, stir well, cook a few more minutes till all is heated through.

[Alex]

Mashed, with bourbon (flamed 1st), maple syrup, and a little cream. Mmm.

[Al_Dente]

SWEET POTATOES WITH TEQUILA AND LIME

2 large (~ 1 lb each) sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

2 Tbsp. Tequila (or more to taste)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (or more to taste)

1/2 stick of butter (4Tbsp.)

Peel and grate potatoes. Melt butter in a skillet. Add sweet potatoes and sugar, mix well and cook, covered over moderate heat. Use spatula to turn mix over every few minutes. In about 15 minutes it should look caramelized. Add tequila and lime juice, stir well, cook a few more minutes till all is heated through.

Note to self... must try this!

Thanks for the idears!

[Jaymes]

Sweet potatoes are the "baked potatoes of choice," in our house.

We just prefer them.

So all I do is to poke a hole or two, then put them on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for a couple hours.

We like to cook them a long time until they get nice and soft and caramely. Then just slice them open and top with some butter and salt and pepper.

That's the fave.

Although sometimes I whip some butter with some cinnamon, honey, bourbon and serve that alongside.

[joler]

I agree, butter, S&P, no marshmallows...

Also, try them thinly sliced, tossed with a little olive oil, salt, cumin, cayenne, and lime zest and then throw them on the grill.

[NVNVGirl]

I agree, butter, S&P, no marshmallows...

Also, try them thinly sliced, tossed with a little olive oil, salt, cumin, cayenne, and lime zest and then throw them on the grill.

YUM! I'm gonna have to try that right away!

A big thing here in the desert also is sweet potato fries instead of the usual. They're pretty good too, altho I doubt any better for you

[Suzanne F]

One year I had to do a kosher Thanksgiving -- no dairy products. So when I did mashed sweet potatoes, instead of butter I used canned coconut milk (which is just coconut and water). Ground up some lemon-flavored preserved ginger and candied/salted lemon slices from the Japanese junk food store, and mixed those in. Maybe some grated coconut, too? And of course, added back the caramelized juices that oozed out of the potatoes while they were baking. Yeah, rather untraditional treatment, but pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.

[bloviatrix]

For Rosh Hashanah I made a sweet potato and carrot tzimmes that was out of this world. The vegetables were diced, to which I added raisins, dried apricots, two vanilla beans - with the caviar scraped out and added, the peel of half an orange, clove and an orange juice water mixture. The whole thing was simmered for close to hour. Then I removed the orange peel and vanilla pods. Once the mixture cooled, I strained out the liquid and mashed the mixture. You add some of the liquid back to make it wetter if so desired. (The unused liquid was tasty to drink straight up.) Salt and pepper to taste and some honey if it isn't already sweet enough (optional).

I think this would go great with turkey.

[Basilgirl]

Baked for a long time, split, drizzled with olive oil, S&P. Or better yet - butter AND olive oil.

[widebody]

I haven't (yet) tried this with sweet potatoes, but I've made it with butternut squash that's been baked and cubed -- simply toss the squash or sweet potato cubes with cubed, smoked pork chops. Saute just long enough to heat through, then drizzle with brown sage butter. It's outstanding w/butternut squash, and I will bet a paycheck it's even better w/sweet potatoes. . . I'll try it this week and let y'all know.

[Rhea_S]

SE Asian Sweet Potato Fritters - grated sweet potatoes, scallions, diced shrimp or fish, cilantro, a little flour, baking powder and fish sauce folded into beaten egg whites. Pan-fry or deep fry small patties and serve with a vinegar, garlic and black pepper dipping sauce or Nuoc Cham.

I also like sweet potato and leek gratins.

[Varmint]

I haven't (yet) tried this with sweet potatoes, but I've made it with butternut squash that's been baked and cubed -- simply toss the squash or sweet potato cubes with cubed, smoked pork chops. Saute just long enough to heat through, then drizzle with brown sage butter. It's outstanding w/butternut squash, and I will bet a paycheck it's even better w/sweet potatoes. . . I'll try it this week and let y'all know.

Please do report back, widebody. And welcome to eGullet!!

[bloviatrix]

Gourmet ran a recipe for Sweet Potato Salad with Mustard Vinagrette several months ago. It's a total change from the usual sweet preparations seen with sweet potatoes.

[Varmint]

SE Asian Sweet Potato Fritters - grated sweet potatoes, scallions, diced shrimp or fish, cilantro, a little flour, baking powder and fish sauce folded into beaten egg whites. Pan-fry or deep fry small patties and serve with a vinegar, garlic and black pepper dipping sauce or Nuoc Cham.

I also like sweet potato and leek gratins.

Mmmmm, fritters. That sounds like a fantastic flavor combination, Rhea. I think it's so easy to "typecast" sweet potatoes as something not all that versatile, when the truth is that they're easy to use in a ton of different types of dishes.

[catdaddy]

Pureed and mixed into grits. Served with over easy eggs and country ham.

[curlywurlyfi]

baked till squadgy then served with butter beaten with grated lime zest, dried red chilli flakes and chopped fresh coriander. oh yes.

[Varmint]

I peeled and diced the sweet taters into 3/4 inch cubes. Sauteed in butter, shallot. Added some port and cumin along with S&P. It was fantastic.

[RB2]

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

In general this is such a delicious starch it could be used for almost anything

[Toliver]

At the last couple of family Thanksgivings my brother made Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes. He doesn't use the orange-fleshed yams but the yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes when making them.

He bakes the sweet potatoes and roasts a head of garlic along side for about an hour. Once cooked, he takes the potatoes and garlic out of the oven and scoops out the insides of the potatoes. To this he adds the roasted garlic (as much or as little as you want), a touch of prepared horseradish and sour cream (basically it's mashed sweet potatoes...guess you could add some butter, too). He spoons this mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes and puts them back into the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Take them out and stick some butter on top and have at it.

[joiei]

had a great big ole honkn' one yesterday for lunch. Coarse salt, fresh ground pepper, red pepper flakes and extra unsalted butter. yummm.

it weighed in at 2 lbs before cooking.

[eunny jang]

No sweet sweet potatoes, ever. Butter, salt, and pepper. Tabasco sometimes. Blue cheese sometimes. Garlic, chili powder, cumin, ANYTHING but cinnamon and sugar.

That said, can someone explain to me the difference between a sweet potato and a yam and the reason why they're mixed up so often? I've read it a million times but it's never "stuck", and I always end up buying the wrong thing at the store, either because they've mislabelled it or because I'm absent minded.

[carswell]

The best ever sweet potato soup. Adapted from a John Ash recipe in New American Chefs and Their Recipes by Lou Pappas (San Francisco: 101 Productions, 1984).

Sweet potato soup with jalapeños and lime cream

Boil 3 medium sweet potatoes until tender. Cool, peel and cut into large chunks. Meanwhile, peel and dice 1 or 2 yellow onions and sauté in butter until the edges begin to brown. In a food processor or blender, purée the onions, sweet potatoes and 1 cup chicken stock. Transfer to a saucepan, add 3 cups chicken stock, 1-2 seeded and finely diced jalapeno peppers (here in Quebec where the jalapenos are wimpy, I use up to a half dozen) and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a swirl of lime cream and 2 or 3 ribbons of lime zest.

Lime cream

Combine 1/2 cup sour cream with the grated zest of a lime. Thin with lime juice (about 1 lime's worth) to a pourable consistency.

Edited October 8, 2004 by carswell (log)

[browniebaker]

My family's favorite is a sweet-potato pudding that makes an appearance at Thanksgiving and is so good that everyone says it ought to be served year-round but I never get around to making it again until a year later. It's mashed sweet potatoes mixed with sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, cinnamon, and salt before being covered in with a crumble topping of chopped pecans, butter, flour, and brown sugar and baked until the topping is crisp.

Other favorites (that I do make year-round) are sweet-potato pie, baked sweet potatoes (simply topped with butter), candied sweet potatoes, an African-American-style ground-nut stew with sweet-potatoes in it, and sweet-potato rolls (even more delicious than potato rolls, with a beautifully golden crumb!).

Edited to add sweet-potato spice cake. How could I have forgotten one of my favorite cakes?! It's marvelously moist and dense and just plain good.

Edited October 8, 2004 by browniebaker (log)