I just read that North Carolina, where I now live, is the largest sweet potato producer in the country, eclipsing even California and Mississippi. There’s a reason it’s our state vegetable (did you know that all states have an official vegetable?).
When you go to the farmers’ market or grocery store here, you will usually find three or four different varieties, unlike other states where you just find the traditional orange sweet potato. We have the orange globe-shaped ones, but also have red, purple and white, in all shapes from round to oblong to long and skinny.
Why always candy-sweet?
I grew up with the traditional “candied yams” prepared for the holidays and frankly, didn’t much care for them. Whose idea was it anyway to put marshmallows on top? As I matured, I did grow to love baked sweet potatoes with butter and salt. I realized that I just didn’t like them candy- sweet since they have enough sweetness on their own.
My family is not particularly enamored of this healthy, delicious vegetable so if I buy them and they tend to be forgotten and languish in the pantry until they become shrunken and disgusting. But they are so good for us that I really want to add them to our diets. They are superstars for Vitamins A and C, not to mention fiber and a host of other nutrients.
Found: the perfect recipe
So, in my spare time now, I’ve been investigating ways to prepare them in different ways, to get my family to eat them. I’ve found the perfect way, one my family is raving about: melted sweet potatoes.
It’s quite simple actually. You simply slice and toss with seasonings of choice and melted butter. Olive oil will work, but the best flavor comes with a splurge of butter or ghee. Then you bake at a high temperature, turning once, and then finish with a splash of broth. The outsides are crispy-delicious and the insides are meltingly creamy. Voila! And if you really like the sweet aspect, you can drizzle them with maple syrup when they come out of the oven.
Melting Sweet Potatoes
(also works well with white potatoes)
- 1 sweet potato, scrubbed but not peeled, sliced ½ inch thick
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ c. broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 T. butter
- 1 t. chopped fresh herbs (can be omitted, my favorite combination is sage and thyme)
- Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 475. Melt the butter in the microwave with the herbs if using. Toss the sweet potato slices well and put them in a single layer in a cast iron or metal roasting pan (don’t use glass).
Roast 15 minutes until the bottoms are crispy and caramelized. Flip and roast 15 minutes more. Then add broth and roast another 15 minutes.
Serve hot, drizzled with maple syrup, or sprinkled with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
Kate's Garden Kitchen 