Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways

Growing up, I thought I hated sweet potatoes.  Even my mom, who was a wonderful cook and my role model in the kitchen, couldn’t make any sweet potatoes that I liked.  They were always smothered in some sort of gelatinous sweet goo.   We lived overseas most of my early childhood until my dad moved us home to Georgia.  Here I was introduced to sweet potato soufflé with those disgusting little marshmallows melted on top.  More overly sweet yuckiness. 

It wasn’t until I became an adult, when I went on a low carb diet, that I discovered what a delicious, savory and versatile vegetable sweet potatoes are!  They are so good for you too.  They are high in fiber, chock full of beta carotene and vitamin A.  You can eat them and feel good about what you are putting in your body.

I am going to share three of my favorite sweet potato recipes starting with the easiest one.  This dish is delicious with steak or pork but also would work with a simple roasted chicken.

Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic & Greek Yogurt


Creamy, Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 heads garlic
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
Plain Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Trim the root end of the garlic heads just enough so that the heads will sit flat.  Peel off the outer white papery skins.  Cut off the top of each head to expose each clove.  Place the heads on a large piece of foil.   Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Be sure every clove gets their share of the olive oil.  Close up the foil into a loose packet and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the cloves are soft.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.



Roasted garlic spreads easily on bread

While the garlic is roasting, cook the sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Using a potato masher, thoroughly mash the sweet potatoes.  Add three or four cloves of garlic to the sweet potatoes.  The cloves are very soft and all you need to do is squeeze the clove and it will come right out.   Mash the cloves into the potatoes, working to incorporate them thoroughly.  The remaining cloves can be spread on bread for yummy bruschetta or used in other recipes.

Now add some Greek yogurt.  Add as much or as little as you like.  I use about ½ cup.  I use Greek yogurt because it is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt.  It is also higher in protein and has less of a sour taste.  You could also substitute sour cream or light sour cream if you don’t care for yogurt.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  If you want, you can add some butter at this point but I think the flavor is rich enough without it.  You get the natural sweetness of the potato, the almost nutty flavor of the roasted garlic and the creaminess of the yogurt.

Now on to my next dish.  About once a month I will make a big breakfast/brunch on Sunday for the two of us.  It usually consists of eggs, scrambled or fried, bacon or sausage, grits or home fries and toast.  Even though we don’t do it often, I still wanted to look for ways to lighten this meal up.  First off, we started eating turkey sausage.  Then I hit upon the idea of substituting sweet potatoes for the Yukon Golds I usually use for the home fries.  OMG – Why didn’t I think of this sooner? 

Sweet Potato Home Fries

I may ever use Yukon Golds again!

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons grated onion
¼ tsp.  Garlic powder
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut up the sweet potatoes into ½ inch cubes.  Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes to slightly soften them.   Drain and let cool. (Ideally do this step the night before.)  Grate a Vidalia onion on a box grater until you have approximately 2 tablespoons of onion.  I cannot stress how important it is to grate the onion instead of simply chopping it.  The flavor permeates the potatoes much better with grated onion.

Grated onion makes all the difference

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Coat the skillet with olive oil.  Add the sweet potatoes, grated onion and garlic powder to skillet and toss to combine.  Arrange the mixture in a single layer in the skillet and season lightly with the salt and pepper.  Press the mixture down to make an even layer.  Allow the mixture to cook over medium high without stirring or flipping for about 8 to 10 minutes.  I find this difficult because I am an impatient cook, so sometimes I will just leave the room and watch the clock and come back when it’s time to flip.

Flip over the potatoes and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and have several caramelized and browned edges. 

These home fries are so delicious you will never miss the regular potatoes.  They would make an excellent side dish for roasted pork or chicken. 

Now for my last dish, I am feeling like something spicy.  This soup is a perfect winter dish that is

hearty, spicy and full of flavor. 

Curry-Coconut Sweet Potato Soup

You could also top with a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche.

2 large sweet potatoes – you want to yield about 2 cups of cooked potatoes, so eyeball it
½ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
2 Tbsp. red curry paste
Red pepper flakes to taste
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
Salt & pepper to taste
Cilantro

Bake sweet potatoes in a 375 degree oven for about an hour until done.  Ideally, do this step ahead of time. 

Coat a wok or large saucepan with olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the curry paste and red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, whisking to combine.  Scoop the pulp out of the potatoes and add it to the soup, whisking to combine.  You could break out an immersion blender and really puree the soup.  I prefer a more rustic soup so I let the whisk do the work.  Continue to heat over medium heat until hot.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Garnish with cilantro leaves. 

So that’s my sweet potato story.  It’s been a sweet potato marathon over the last week.  I think Tom has hit the wall, so it is time to move on to something else for now.  I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as we do.