Tag Archives: holiday meals

Tips on how to store, cook & prepare sweet potatoes

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Just in the nick of time for the holidays

sweet-potatoes-mThe sweet potato — a perennial holiday meal favorite — is one of only a few cultivated vegetable crops with origins in the Americas. Traced back to 8000 B.C. Peru, it’s neither a potato nor a yam but a rooted tuber and member of the morning glory family.

Prep
To prepare sweet potatoes, simply scrub the skin clean using a vegetable brush and running water to remove any dirt and grime. Then cut away any damaged areas.

Store
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place for up to several weeks. Do not store in plastic or refrigerate. Temperatures below 50 degrees will cause off-flavors, and excess moisture will encourage sweet potatoes to rot or sprout prematurely. Resist the urge: Do not scrub clean or wash until just before preparation.

Cook
Sweet potatoes taste great baked, boiled, steamed, grilled or mashed.

Interested in trying new sweet potato recipes?
Highlighted this week: roasted pumpkin and sweet potato pilau, crispy sweet potato wedges, curried sweet potato apple soup and honey-roasted sweet potatoes with honey-cinnamon dip. Below is the recipe for Extra-crispy Sweet Potato Wedges. Get the other recipes.

Extra Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled (or unpeeled, if you like skin) and cut into wedges
  • 2-½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with tinfoil (shiny side up); place baking rack onto prepared baking sheet; set aside. Peel the sweet potatoes (if preferred) and cut off the pointy ends. Slice the sweet potatoes in half (lengthwise), then cut each piece into wedges. Place the sweet potato wedges in a large bowl, then add in the olive oil, salt, sugar, seasoning, and black pepper.

Mix well, making sure each wedge is coated with oil and spices. Arrange the sweet potato wedges in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until they’re well browned and crispy. Keep an eye here – it’s easy to burn when the broiler is on! Cool wedges on pan for 5 minutes, then serve at once.

cropped-wmggadm_logorgb1Recipe courtesy of Baker by Nature