Fave Sweet Potato Recipes?

[Annie Mac]

OK, I've got lik 10 sweet potatoes in the fridge. I like sweet potato fries with cumin and chili powder, but I don't really like just straight sweet potato (like mashed). Given that slight preference, anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks!

[Buzzer Beater]

Are these really sweet potatoes or are they yams? I've got a great yam recipe if you like black beans and polenta, but never cooked a sweet potato.

[Super~Single~Mama]

I'm subbing to this thread b/c I want to know about sweet potato recipes too.

But, uh, whats the difference between a sweet potato and a yam

[Annie Mac]

Buzzer Beater, I don't really know. I must admit, I'm a little fuzzy on the difference. I have two colours of vegetable in my fridge: one is orangey, and the other is paler. Not quite white or beige, but in that palette. They are all the same shape, which is long and skinny. I'd say the average yam/potato thing is about 8 inches long, and probably 3-4 inches in diameter. They have pointy ends. Do you know which these are?

[Annie Mac]

P.S. I love black beans and polenta! Even if it turns out I have sweet potatoes, I'd still like the recipe

[Buzzer Beater]

Yams are darker, very orangey, usually long and tapered, take longer to cook. Sweet potatoes are paler. Yams are more flavorful. Gotta nurse a kid, back later with recipe, sssooooooo easy will work with either tuber.

[Jayray]

I like sweet potato soup and sp risotto!!

[Chicky2]

We LOVE sweet potatoes and yams! I know they are different, but use them interchangeably in recipes (but the yams do take longer to cook!).

We happen to have a surplus of both white and orange sweet potatoes. I've been using them like mad, lol.

Sweet potato black bean burritos are a fav. here. Last week I made an African rabbit stew and used both white and orange sweet potatoes in it. I also made a chicken and veggie soup w/sweet potatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper, swiss chard, and mushrooms. For breakfast one morning I made a sweet potato souflee/casserole type of thing (made it up but I can try to make a recipe for you) that was a huge hit. Cubed and oven roasted w/any kind of seasoning you like is good, too. I love 'em baked w/butter and cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar or honey alongside a nice steak and salad.

Oh, I also finely chopped some along w/other veggies, sauteed them lightly, and added them to chana dal and made patties.

[Buzzer Beater]

Start with a lasagna pan, as deep as you have.

Cover the bottom with an inch or so of very firm polenta, about 6 cups or so. I usually make extra and save some for pasta sauce later in the week.

Over the top of that add a layer of mashed sweet potato (great to save some plain for little ones or freeze in ice cube trays). Boil 2 large ones until you can mash them with a fork, no need to puree or the dish gets too soupy.

On top of that add your best cuban or mexican black beans. I do a lg sweet onion, red and yellow peppers diced, garlic, cumin, and a bit of coriander in canola oil or your preference. Use enough beans to cover the last layer, in cans it would be 2 I think. It's fast and easy.

Right now you've got a layered dish that you can heat and eat, not too spicy for little ones or picky eaters. What I did last night to finish the dish for adult (vegetarian) tastes was add on top of the beans - sliced butter sauteed plantains and a spicy ancho chili sauce using this recipe:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/chi...s/r/blbb90.htm This is great with pork medallions also in this sauce. It's really not that spicy and I keep some in the freezer it's so yummy. It's also great for enchiladas or eggs if you make extra.

You can also top with chicken and tomatillo or enchilada sauce, or shredded beef, whichever sauce you like, about 2 cups. Any more than that will make it too runny overall. It's a versatile dish, you can modify so easily based on your family's tastes, and again, it's a LOT of food. Love those sweet potatoes!

[Buzzer Beater]

Originally Posted by Chicky2

Sweet potato black bean burritos are a fav. here. Last week I made an African rabbit stew and used both white and orange sweet potatoes in it. I also made a chicken and veggie soup w/sweet potatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper, swiss chard, and mushrooms. For breakfast one morning I made a sweet potato souflee/casserole type of thing (made it up but I can try to make a recipe for you) that was a huge hit. Cubed and oven roasted w/any kind of seasoning you like is good, too. I love 'em baked w/butter and cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar or honey alongside a nice steak and salad.

Oh, I also finely chopped some along w/other veggies, sauteed them lightly, and added them to chana dal and made patties.

Chicky2I'd love directions on these if you have time!

Also got this from Allrecipes.com and loooooved it:

African Yam Soup
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chunky salsa
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup cooked rice
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Directions
1.Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Saute onion, sweet potato, and garlic until onion is soft. Turn down heat if necessary to prevent burning.
2.Stir in the chicken broth, thyme and cumin. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in salsa, garbanzo beans and zucchini. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
3.Stir in the cooked rice and peanut butter until the peanut butter has dissolved. Serve hot with pita chips and a green salad.

[Chicky2]

Creamy Sweet Potato Casserole

2 medium cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
6-7 farm eggs (so about 4-5 store bought--we get some small eggs sometimes from our newest layers)
1/2 cup goat milk (or whatever)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup quick oats (or whole, but for this I like the quick)
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey, or white, or whatever, lol)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Beat all together w/mixer and pour into well-greased casserole (9x13). Sprinkle a bit more quick oats over the top. Bake til toothpick comes out clean @ 350*. Mine pulled away from the edge of the pan when it was nearing done.

We ate as both a dessert w/whipped cream and as a breakfast, plain and also w/vanilla yogurt on top. MMMM! My kids LOVED this.

Chana dal patties:

(I make enough for supper for 6 and for lunch for all the next day).

Cook 2 cups chana dal (or lentils or black beans). Drain and let cool.

Sautee chopped veggies of your choice (truly a whatever-you-have recipe) I used onion, bell pepper, green tomatoes (i have alot), white and orange sweet potatoes, celery, garlic til soft but not mushy. Add chana dal to veggies and stir well. Add whatever spices suite your mood (I used thyme and sage, salt, and cayenne). You can add bits of leftover meat, too (I've used rabbit, chicken, goat, lamb, bacon, turkey, guinea) if you wish/have it. Add in a couple of eggs and some flour, cornmeal, (masarepa is my fav for this) til your mixture sticks together and cook in a bit of oil/butter til golden browned. You could use the oven, skillet, or electric griddle (griddle is what I use). Serve w/dipping sauce of your choice (we've used ranch dressing, ketchup, applesauce, tatziki (sp?), whatever you wish.

Don't be mad if your sweet potato casserole doesn't work right. I'm definitely guessing at amounts here.

[Chicky2]

I'm putting that polenta dish on my list for this week! That sounds so delish! I will serve with lots of fresh cilantro and maybe a green tomato salsa. MMMM!MMM!!

[JessicaS]

I love them cut into cubes then roasted with rosemary, salt, and pepper

[hollytheteacher]

Sweet potato grilled cheese sandwiches are yummy. You do a 50/50 ratio sweet potato to graded cheddar cheese. Then throw in some salt, mix it up so that the cheese melts in, the put that in the center of the bread. Put butter on each side of the bread, pan fry for a few min on each side.

YUM YUM

[beebalmmama]

My favorite is from "Vegetarian Planet"

Sweet Potato Tortilla Pie
It's kind of like a Mexican quiche

You layer 5 corn tortillas in a pie pan, cover the bottom and sides

Cube the sweet potatoes in 1/2 inch chunks and toss with olive oil, 1 tsp cumin/cumin seed and 2 minced garlic cloves. Roast on a baking sheet.

Mix 1 1/2 cups milk, 4 eggs,1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, then add 4-5 chopped scallions

When potatoes are done, put in pie pan over the tortillas.
Sprinkle on 1/2-1 cup of monterey jack cheese.
Pour egg mixture over the top and bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Serve with salsa!

It is yummy and super easy!

[GardenStream]

I cut them in cubes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss them in a casserole dish and bake them for about an hour at 350F. I don't like them sweet.

O/T - I thought yams were close to impossible to get in the US especially fresh because they are rarely grown here. I think Alton Brown even did a show about sweet potatoes where he explained the difference.

[robugmum]

mmmmmmm!
subbing 'cos these sound delicious!
We also love 'em simply baked in their skins with butter, yogurt and s&p

[newcastlemama]

Here is one I love:

Moraccan Chicken Stew
http://www.food.com/recipe/moroccan-...otatoes-255620

(I make it gluten free by using rice flour for dredging and serve it over brown rice)

[Annie Mac]

Wow, these look great! Thanks all, for replying! The polenta bean casserole, the african stew & the chana dahl are definitely going to tried. Yum!

[cristeen]

Hate to break it to you, but if it's readily available in a grocery store in the US, it is a sweet potato, regardless of what the sign says. There are easily a dozen breeds of sweet potato, the orange Jewel and Beauregard being 2 of the more widely available, but in recent years white and yellow ones have started hitting the market.

If you want a yam, you really have to look for it, and can sometimes find them in an Asian market. They're nothing like a SP though.

All that being said, my fave recipe is Epicurious' Baked mashed potatoes and yams with garlic and parmesan. It's become a Thanksgiving tradition around here. Much better to my tastebuds than the candied w marshmallows dish.