All those sweet potato recipes we adore so much have one thing in common: they require the very best sweet potatoes to reach their full potential. This comes down to a crucial first step that happens before the sweet potatoes even enter your home. Right at the grocery store, you've got to choose the very best ones, and it's not always the easiest thing in the world. You need to know exactly what to look for, and just as important, what to avoid.
Whether they're mashed with butter, tossed into a stew, or transformed into crispy fries, sweet potatoes are a hearty and nutritious addition to any homecooked meal. These vibrant veggies are packed with natural sweetness and earthy flavor, which makes them an excellent accompaniment to an array of other sweet and savory ingredients. And, while they're a dinnertime staple for many, sweet potatoes often get overlooked at the breakfast table.
Not only is this a perfect veggie dish for Thanksgiving turkey dinner, but this unexpected combination is also tasty. It makes a wonderful fall or winter side dish with any meat. Make ahead and reheat in the microwave just before serving. Letting it sit overnight brings out the flavors. 2 large sweet potatoes 1/4 stick butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 dash black pepper
According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, tater tots are one of the most commonly underestimated snacks in the frozen food aisle. On their own, these little puffy versions of potatoes resemble clouds with a hard, crispy outer shell. But there's no shortage of creative ways to use frozen tater tots - they are perfect in place of tortilla chips as a Midwestern version of nachos, or simply eaten on their own as a snack or as a side with a good burger.
Sweetness is a path a lot of you take when it comes to the sweet potato. After all, the flavor is written into the potato's very name - so it only makes sense that so many people like to top your casserole with sticky marshmallows on Thanksgiving. At the same time, there's something undeniably enticing about the different ways to make sweet potatoes savory. The Japanese condiment, miso paste, is the perfect candidate for this.
Sweet potatoes are packed with manganese, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin C. They're also rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, an essential nutrient for healthy vision. Serving as a rich source of potassium, sweet potatoes help maintain heart health and regulate blood pressure. Despite their natural sweetness, they have a low glycemic index, making them great for steady energy and blood sugar control. But, that's not even the best part.
The celebrity chef shared his recipe for whipped sweet potatoes with Food Network, and it strikes the ultimate balance between sweet and savory. His trick is to counteract the typical seasonings used on sweet potatoes, like brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with bay leaves. In a video posted with the recipe, he says, "The bay leaf gives it sort of a slight savory flavor. It's gonna be really nice." Florence adds the flavor of the bay leaves by infusing them in warm cream, which he adds to soft baked sweet potatoes before pureeing them. He discards the leaves once the cream is ready, and then adds some other aromatics to complement the flavors further.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that I can control the ingredients. I'm using high-quality avocado oil along with lime and spices for this wholesome snack, and avoiding additives and preservatives found in store-bought chips.