A lot of people believe sweet potatoes are nature’s perfect food. Personally, I believe that title belongs to beer, but chacun à son gout, right?
At last week’s Clayton Farmers’ Market, I happened upon some of these vitamin-packed babies – sweet potatoes, not beer; it was too early for the latter, even for me. The sweet potato caught my eye primarily due to its versatility. It seemed to call out, “Anything your regular potato can do, I can do better,” and then some. Sweet potatoes make awesome fries (bake them in the oven if you must) and contribute a pop of color to a roasted vegetable medley. Blanch them for a few minutes, then toss them on a well-oiled grill over medium-high heat for a sweet and smoky combination. Puréed sweet potatoes can also serve as an excellent ravioli filling when combined with a little sage. A brown butter sauce is all you need as an accompaniment.
Now that the weather has passed just south of unbearable, you should be able to turn your oven back on again. Here’s where sweet potatoes really shine. Boiled and mashed sweet potatoes make an awesome pie filing, along with some sugar and butter, of course. Maybe pound cake, tart or flan? Be sure to include a crunchy topping of some sort to cut through that unctuous texture.
So here’s to the sweet potato. Now, where’s my beer?
Although we found sweet potatoes at the Clayton Farmers’ Market last week, due to the seasonal nature of our area markets, supplies may vary from week to week.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2011.