Written by Christie Crawford
Clarksville, TN – In their musical hit “Song of the South” the group Alabama sings of “sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth”. There is something about the simple pleasure of tasting a sweet potato which is so comforting. It seems to take away all the bad memories of tough times, such as the Great Depression mentioned in the song, and it still does today.
Sweet potatoes, believe it or not, are not actually potatoes, but a root vegetable in the morning glory family, related to the potato which develops on vines with flowers resembling morning glories. Although originating in South America, the sweet potato has deep roots in the South, particularly North Carolina, which produces the largest crops in the U.S. and has over 400 growers.
There are five basic types that are characterized by their skin and flesh colors as follows:
- Orange skin with orange flesh – (Garnet/Jewel) – excellent for mashing and for pies.
- Red skin with orange flesh (Covington/Beauregard) – the most popular and versatile in cooking. Usually used for baking potatoes and in Thanksgiving recipes.
- Yellow skin with white flesh (Bonita) – excellent for soups and for cheesecakes.
- Purple skin with white flesh (Murasaki) – good for stew and soups.
- Purple skin with purple flesh (Okinawa/Purple majesty) good for stews and soups.
The health benefits of sweet potatoes are numerous. They are a form of a complex carbohydrate and are full of vitamins A, B, C, manganese, copper and magnesium. In terms of sweetness, orange and red are most likely to be the sweetest.
Purple and white sweet potatoes tend to be the lightest in sweet taste. And just to clear the air, sweet potatoes are not yams. Drier and starchier, yams are brown skinned and tend to grow up to 7 feet long, native to Africa and Asia.
Think of serving these vegetables not only at Thanksgiving but at other times in the fall.
Here are three recipes you may want to try:
Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes (from Southern Living)
Makes 6 Servings
2 1/2 lb sweet potatoes peeled
1 cup apple cider or water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Place potatoes on a rack in an Instant Pot cooker. Pour water or cider on top. Seal top and set Pressure Cook on High for 20 minutes. When finished, turn the steam to vent naturally for 10 minutes.
Remove potatoes and drain liquid. Place in a bowl, adding butter and salt, and mash until the desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and mix in salt and butter. Serve immediately.
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup (courtesy of saltandlavender.com)
Makes 4 Servings
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl butter
1 medium onion chopped
3 sticks celery chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cups chicken broth (or veg broth) + more as needed
2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled & chopped (1 inch pieces)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Add the oil and butter to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and celery for about 7-10 minutes or until they start to brown lightly. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add in the broth, sweet potatoes, and smoked paprika. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover the pot with the lid slightly open and reduce the heat and let it simmer rapidly for 25-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Carefully blend the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender (You may want to let the soup cool a bit first).
Stir in the sour cream and heavy cream. Season with salt & pepper as needed. The soup will likely still be quite thick, so thin it out with a bit more broth if needed. Taste and adjust… possibly adding more cream or sour cream if needed.
Sweet Potato Pie (courtesy of The New York Times Heritage Cookbook)
Makes 6 servings
1 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
1 cup hot milk
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, eggs, and vanilla. Melt the butter in the milk, then stir it into the sweet potato mixture.
Beat with a mixer until smooth. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Chill and serve with your favorite whipped cream topping.
