Oh my Sweet Potato
Winter has arrived here in New York, and the vegetables are no longer the farm fresh lovelies they were in august, but I could not be happier. It is root vegetable and sweet potato time. Born and raised in Mississippi, home to the "Sweet Potato Capitol" (Vardaman, MS) I cannot help but crave these hearty orange fleshed tubers. Oh, Yams, you might say, and I have to get on my Sweet Potato crate (like a soapbox) and dispel the yam myth.
Frankly, darling, I don't give a Yam, but I do give a sweet potato. In fact, I'll give you bushels of sweet potatoes, a nutritional powerhouse and delicious root, just stop calling them yams. Do not fear, this is a mere issue of misinformation. When you think "yam," you probably think of the dark, thin skinned ‘tater with a bright orange flesh that sweetens, softens, and becomes moist when cooked, allowing it to be mashed, stewed, or gladly topped with marshmallows and baked to a confection of a side dish. This is actually a sweet potato, and true yams are rarely sold in this country. A true yam is a tropical tuber that is much larger and heavier than a sweet potato, with a dark brown almost hairy skin that can grow to up to seven feet in length. They are starchier, have more natural sugars than the sweet potato, are common in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines, and in no way related to the sweet potato.
So how did the second most important vegetable in the nation, my dear sweet potato, get an incorrect name? A member of the morning glory family, the sweet potato is thought to have been brought to Americas by Columbus or with the slaves from Africa, the mix up came during a 1930's marketing campaign where the sweet potato was named a "yam" to distinguish the darker, sweet orange variety grown in the southern United States, predominately Louisiana and Mississippi. The majority of sweet potatoes are still produced in the southeast region of our country, being harvested in late summer, with a peak season of October through January, though they can be found year round in most parts of the country. There are actually seven major varieties, but we most commonly know Garnett and Jewel sweet potatoes.
Now that we know what sweet potatoes are, let's move to the myriad health benefits and how to make these your new favorite food! Loaded with vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, and fiber in the skins, sweet potatoes are a sweet option for helping to prevent heart problems and stroke. They are naturally fat free, and relatively low in calories, yet filling making them a great option for the weight conscious, and loaded with potassium, which aids in fluid maintenance in the body's cells, along with proper heat function and blood pressure. They are also on every body builder's list of clean foods, so sweet potatoes love you at the gym, too.
Select firm sweet potatoes with unblemished and smooth skins, and store in a cool place (around 55°) for up to three or four weeks. Bruised potatoes will deteriorate much faster. Do not refrigerate your sweet potatoes, and you cannot just cut away the back part of one of these beauties as the flavor of the entire potato will suffer and reflect this damage. Though usually saved for Thanksgiving or holidays, other cooking options include baking and roasting to bring out the natural sugars that will caramelize, and they can be served mashed, in casseroles, in soups or stews, or diced and steamed as part of a cold salad or tossed with grains. Spices compliment sweet potatoes, as do combinations with honey, nuts, bananas, and Caribbean flavors. Also, an off the wall option for protein shake makers, sweet potato puree is a great binder that acts much like banana in shakes/smoothies.
Here is the first recipe you need to get started to go sweet!
Basic Baked Sweet Potatoes
<> Preheat oven to 450°. Scrub potatoes and rub each with olive or vegetable oil.
<> Arrange the potatoes on a oven rack (I line the rack with foil to catch possible drips), and bake 35-45 minutes until tender (squeeze with a pair of tongs to test this). Remove from the oven and pierce with a fork to vent. Cut as you would a regular potato down the center and press the side together to "mush" the flesh upwards.
<> You can now top with butter and a bit of salt and paprika, fresh parsley for a savory taste….
OR butter, sugar and cinnamon or allspice
OR use as a base for black beans and sour cream
OR butter, orange zest, and lime juice
OR simply toasted nuts such as walnuts or pecans, combined with toasted coconut.
God bless sweet potatoes, God bless options.
