November 14, 2007

Sweet Potato vs Yam?

One of the Thanksgiving favorites is the sweet potato. However, you often see recipes that call for yams. Thus the question, sweet potato or yam? If you go to the grocery store you might see some of each. However, if you look closely at the fine print, you will notice that the yam is also labeled as a sweet potato because that is actually what it is. Any yam sold in this country (outside of specialty Asian or Caribbean markets), is a sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes started to be called yams due to their similarity in looks. Even though it was a sweet potato, the name yam stuck. There are seven varieties of sweet potato. Four of these varieties, Beauregard, Covington, Garnet, and Jewel, are most often labeled as yams.

There is a lot of information in the horticultural world about the differences between sweet potatoes and yams. Turns out that sweet potatoes are not even potatoes. For more information about the differences, here is an informative article by colleague Jennifer Schulz Nelson.

Nutritionally sweet potatoes are great. They provide a good source of complex carbohydrates (the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar slowly), fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, and protein. Enjoy your sweet potatoes this holiday season. Here are two recipes to try.

Sweet Potato and Cranberries

Ingredients:

2 - 15.5-ounce cans of sweet potatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups canned cranberry sauce

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 Tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice potatoes an arrange slices in a baking dish.
3. In a saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, water and brown sugar. Simmer, uncovered for about 5 minutes.
4. Add margarine to the cranberry sauce and stir until melted. Pour over sliced potatoes. Top with nuts.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot.

Yam and Apple Casserole

Ingredients:

6 - 8 yams

6 - 8 cooking apples

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup margarine

Cinnamon, to taste

Instructions:
1. Slice yams.
2. Peel apples and slice.
3. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan.
4. Add water and margarine.
5. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.
6. Grease 2 quart casserole dish.
7. Layer yams and apples in casserole dish.
8. Pour sauce over yams and apples.
9. Sprinkle top with cinnamon to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Posted by Jennifer McCaffrey at 3:53 PM |