Sweet potato casserole isn’t the only way to enjoy sweet potatoes! Whether you’re looking for breakfasts, dinners or even desserts, you are sure to find something you love in one of these Sweet Potato Recipes.
Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients. They are very popular in the fall, but we like to enjoy them all year round! But before we get into their deliciousness, let’s learn a little about them.
Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable in the morning glory family. They are native to Central America and South America, but grown all over the world and are very popular in North America.
There are many varieties of sweet potatoes with the skin ranging from pale yellow, to brown and often a dark tan and the flesh from creamy white to orange. Some are even purple (not to be confused with the ube which is a purple yam!)
Sweet potatoes are put into two categories:
- Firm sweet potatoes- golden skin and paler flesh
- Soft sweet potatoes- copper/dark brown skin and orange flesh
They are very versatile and can be cooked a variety of ways, but it is important to know if you are working with soft or firm versions first.
- Baked– either firm or soft (whole or chopped)
- Fried– best for firm (soft have trouble getting crispy and staying put together)
- Sautéed– either firm or soft
- Steamed– best for firm
- Microwaved– either first or soft
- Boiled– best for firm
- Mashed – this works best with soft so you can get a fluffy potato
So now that you know a little bit about what sweet potatoes are and which ones are best to use when, let’s get into all of the delicious recipes!
Did You Know SweetPotato is One Word?
Did you know that sweetpotato is actually one word? Most people still use two, so we do as well, but in 1989 this nun (not an adjective) was officially changed to one word to help standout against it’s very commonly confused cousin the yam.
And as we know, sweet potatoes are not yams! You’ve likely never even had a yam in your lifetime because they aren’t grown in the US. So bring up this little bit of trivia at your table tonight.