Sweet Potatoes - Versatile and Convenient

I want to talk to you about sweet potatoes, or what some of you may know as “yams”. They are a staple at the holiday dinner table here in the south. We candy them, we glaze them, and we put them in pies. Until recently, though, the only time anyone really thought about making these tuber treats was for their holiday feasts.

There are several reasons for the rise in popularity of sweet potatoes.

• They are DELICIOUS!

• They are equally tasty when prepared savory or sweet.

• They cost less than regular potatoes.

• They are available almost all year round.

• They are packed with nutrients.

Basically, if you aren’t eating them, you are missing out on this “buried treasure”.

What everyone needs to know about sweet potatoes

I’m not going to tell you that they are the perfect food, but on my personal ten point scale of food worthy of perfection, I would give it a 10! Seriously, people, one baked sweet potato is a meal packed with more nutrients than most people get in a week. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods website, one medium baked sweet potato is only 180 calories and 1281.2% of the daily value of vitamin A and around 50% of the daily value of vitamin C and manganese. Why bother with taking a multi-vitamin when you can get what you need in a well-planned and super yummy diet?

At 180 calories, even if you are watching your figure, you can afford to add a couple tablespoons of real butter (or three or four), then just sprinkle a little salt and pepper for a savory meal. If you have more of a sweet tooth, forgo the salt and pepper and try a dusting of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Wow, a dessert that is actually good for you, right?

And did I mention that they are simply delicious?

The versatility of this vegetable is amazing. It can be used in the main dish or as a side dish (or even dessert) for any meal. Yes, even though I am a connoisseur of the sweet potato, I will admit that prepping it for cooking is not an easy task. They are oddly shaped and much harder to cut up than other root vegetable, but completely worth the little extra effort.

This recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes is something that I make quite often. It’s a simple side dish that is great with anything from burgers to steak.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

• ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan

Preheat your oven to 425° and line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Pour the mixture onto the sheet pan, make sure to scrape all the oil and cheese from the bottom of the bowl and drizzle over the potatoes, and spread out into a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft and slightly browned.

This recipe should yield about 3-4 servings. If you have left-overs, they can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I like to reheat them with some onions, peppers, and mushroom in a skillet and serve a couple of over-medium eggs on top. Versatile, natural, and simply delicious sweet potatoes are one of nature’s greatest convenience products.

#soulfood #sweetpotatoes