Sweet Potatoes: A Taste of the Season

Tasteful and Nutritious At the Holidays and All Year Long

Most of us are used to eating sweet potatoes once a year -- at Thanksgiving. Those casseroles, richly buttered and sugary, satisfy our American sweet tooth. But unadorned, sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

Served plain, sweet potatoes are low in calories and fat-free, but still filled with flavor. They are full of antioxidants: Vitamins A (in the form of beta-carotene), C, and B6. And it has been proven that sweet potatoes are an “anti-diabetic” food; that is, they help to stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance.

A Sweet Potato or a Yam?

In the mid 20th century, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes were introduced in the southern United States. Producers and shippers wanted to distinguish them from white-fleshed sweet potatoes to which most people were accustomed. In order to help distinguish the two, they adopted the word “yam” from the African word “nyami”, the root vegetable that is considered a true yam.

How to Select and Store:

Although sweet potatoes are available year-round, their season is mainly November and December. Avoid those that are displayed in refrigerator cases in produce markets because cold temperatures negatively alter the flavor.

Choose sweet potatoes that are blemish-free and firm. They should feel heavy for their size. Store them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place so they will not sprout or ferment. However, keep them out of the refrigerator because refrigerating sweet potatoes will encourage rapid deterioration in both appearance and taste.

Preparation and Recipe Tips:

The flesh of sweet potatoes will oxidize when they come in contact with the air, so cook them shortly after peeling or cutting them. If that is not possible, keep them submerged in water in a bowl.

Baking sweet potatoes slightly concentrates their natural sweetness, but they can be steamed or oven- or deep-fried like white potatoes. You can change up the flavor by stirring in a little coconut milk, mashed bananas, maple syrup, curry paste, or peanut butter. Try steaming them and mixing with dried cranberries or raisins and chopped pecans or walnuts. Or bake sticks of sweet potato coated with ground red pepper and garlic salt for spicy oven fries.