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Roasted and Mashed Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Sweet potatoes are "root" vegetables that often are referred to as yams here in the United States, but the two vegetables are not the same.
Sweet potatoes have a smooth, thin skin, are native to the tropics (like Peru and Ecuador) and are moist and sweet to the taste. Yams on the other hand have rough, scaly skin, are native to Africa and Asia, and are a bit dry and starchy to the taste.
Both sweet potatoes and yams come in a variety of colors. On the outside their skin can be orange, purple, yellow, brown, red, and beige, while on the inside their color can be orange, yellow, white, beige, purple, pink, and violet.
While we tend to associate sweet potatoes or yams with Thanksgiving, these vegetables can be eaten all year round. They are nutritious, rich in vitamins and minerals, and low in calories. They make a great side dish to go along with your favorite meat or fish dishes.
Sweet potatoes can be consumed fried, roasted, baked, sautéed, mashed, and boiled. Below you will find a few of my delicious sweet potato recipes that are easy to make. You can always use yams instead of sweet potatoes if you prefer.
Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes (or yams)
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Dried Basil
- Roasted Sesame Seeds
- Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Take a desired amount of sweet potatoes and thoroughly wash them under running water. Then slice them into thick circles and cut those circles into four pieces.
- Place the sweet potato slices into a ceramic tray (or an aluminum one). Add desired amount of sea salt and mix. Then pour olive oil over the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with dried basil and mix again.
- Set oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is preheating add some olive oil to the four sides of the tray so the sweet potatoes don't stick. Once the oven is preheated place the tray inside and let it cook for about an hour. Make sure you stir the contents occasionally so they cook evenly and also don't get stuck to the tray.
- After about an hour has passed, take out the tray and sprinkle the sweet potatoes with roasted sesame seeds (and grated mozzarella cheese if you like). Then place the tray back into the oven and let cook for ten minutes or so. After ten minutes have passed try one piece of the sweet potato to make sure it is soft enough. If it is, you can turn off the oven. If not let it cook some more until the sweet potatoes reach your desired tenderness. Once the sweet potatoes are ready you can serve them with your favorite meat or fish dishes and enjoy. Or you can eat them on their own as well.
Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes (or yams)
- Sea Salt
- Milk, Cream or Half-n-Half
- Roasted Sesame Seeds
- Butter
Instructions
1. Take a desired amount of sweet potatoes and thoroughly wash them under running water. Then slice them in half, place in a pot filled with water (making sure they are completely covered), and add a desired amount of salt. (A teaspoon should be enough).
2. Place the pot on the stove, and let the water come to a boil. Once the water starts to boil let the sweet potatoes cook for about forty minutes. Check the sweet potatoes from time to time to see if they are tender enough. You may need to cook them for longer than forty minutes or maybe for a shorter time. It all depends on how you tender you prefer them.
3. Once the sweet potatoes are ready take them out of the pot and place into bowl. Peel of the skin. Then mash the sweet potatoes using a fork or a mashing device.
4. Heat about a quarter of a cup of milk or (half-n-half or cream). Once warm, pour it over the mashed sweet potatoes and stir. (You can add more or less of the milk. It all depends on how thick you want the mixture to be). Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds, add some butter, mix, and enjoy.
What other recipes with sweet potatoes have you made or tasted? Feel free to share them here...
