Consider the Sweet Potato

I.

The best way to cook a sweet potato, according to Nik Sharma, on the podcast the Genius Tapes, is to both steam and roast it. Steaming it breaks down its fibers and gives the veggie a creamy texture, but roasting it “releases at least 17 more aromatic molecules than boiling or microwaving.” As such, Sharma recommends a hybrid, 2-stage method involving aluminum foil. The result? A creamy and complex sweet potato. I have tried it myself, and I can vouch for the technique.

II.

When I was growing up, the one time a year that sweet potatoes were always served was on Thanksgiving. Then, my aunt would boil and mash them with butter and brown sugar and top them off with mini-marshmallows toasted under the broiler. They were gooey and sweet, any child’s dream, and I couldn't stand them.

III.

My sister has a friend who went through a phase in college where she ate a big baked sweet potato for dinner every single night. She literally turned a light shade of orange from all the beta-carotene. 

IV.

There is a difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but no one is quite sure what it is. One is starchier, one is sweeter; one can be purple or orange or white. One is monocot, and one is dicot. I used to think the orange things we ate at Thanksgiving were sweet potatoes, then a few years later I was sure they were yams, but now I think they were definitely sweet potatoes. Maybe. 

V.

Every year, we get at least 10 pounds of sweet potatoes from our winter CSA share. It might seem like a lot for a couple of little 50-something ladies to consume over the course of a few months, but they keep very well, and we find lots of ways to use them: diced in soup and stew, mashed for muffins, riced for gnocchi, grated for pancakes, home-fried with onions and eggs, spiraled and crisped browned in the oven, minced and added to risotto, and of course, both steamed and roasted. Don't worry, we get that vitamin A!