Sweet potatoes, once relegated to holiday meals, now feature weekly on casual supper menus. From baked to mashed to fries, this potato graces our dinner table at least once a week.
The ubiquitous orange-fleshed tubers, also known as Jewel and Garnet, are packed with beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron and fiber. Purple-fleshed varieties, such as Stokes, Molokai and Okinawan, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. All varieties sport a modest number of calories and plenty of satiety. (Yams, botanically a different vegetable, are starchy, dry and much less sweet.)
Best of all, sweet potatoes prove super easy to cook. Our weekday hack employs the microwave oven for fast mashed potatoes, and to jump start oven fries. Baked sweets, cooked slowly in a hot oven so the interior concentrates and steams, become the centerpiece of a meatless meal. We top them with plain yogurt and bottled Asian chili crisp. Alternatively, try chopped spicy nuts and cilantro….