Sweet potatoes are a popular substitute for regular spuds in recipes like fries and mashed potatoes. But there are so many other ways to enjoy their signature sweetness and creamy texture. Here’s a look at common buying and cooking questions, plus some of our favourite sweet potato recipes.
Why Eat Sweet Potatoes
According to Eat Right Ontario, the orange colour of the sweet potato signifies good-for-you nutrients called carotenoids. A medium-sized sweet potato with the skin contains 1,096 mcg of vitamin A (the DV, or recommended daily amount for men and women, is 700 to 900 mcg). It also contains 4 grams of dietary fibre or 90% of the DV for adults, and no fat. Canada’s Food Guide recommends everyone eat one orange vegetable like a sweet potato, every day.
Buying and Storage Solutions
- Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and smooth. The skin should be free from cracks, bruises, and soft spots.
- Don’t confuse yams for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes have tapered ends and thin smooth skin, while yams are cylindrical with white or purple skin and flesh. Sweet potatoes are sweet and moist while yams are a more starchy vegetable.
- Keep sweet potatoes in a cool dry place, like a well ventilated cupboard away from the stove.
Preparation and Cooking Tips
- The flesh of sweet potatoes darkens quickly upon contact with air. To prevent oxidation when preparing them ahead of time, store cut and peeled sweet potatoes in a covered dish filled with water.
- Like regular potatoes, you can eat the skin.
- Enhance the sweetness of sweet potatoes by baking them slowly at 177°C or lower for at least 45 minutes. The lower temperature helps break down the starch into sugar.
All the Best Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet potatoes jazz up traditional fajitas in Spiced Pork & Sweet Potato Fajitas for a quick and delicious family-friendly meal.
Deep-frying French fries adds a lot of fat and calories. Our crunchy Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries are richly flavoured and baked in egg whites and vinegar. They’re ready in 35 minutes.
Layers of sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and creamy butternut squash soup are topped with melted cheddar cheese in Sweet Potato, Potato & Squash Gratin.
Surprise everyone on pizza night with a delicious Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Sweet Potato, Sausage & Arugula.
Try a stack of super-fluffy and lightly spiced Sweet Potato Gingerbread Pancakes. Top with warmed maple syrup and pecans.
Mix up salad night with Sweet Potato Salad with Raisins & Spiced Nuts, a mix of sweet potatoes and fresh red peppers in a peppery cilantro and lime dressing.
Maple Bacon & Goat Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes take game day to a new level. Potato shells are stuffed with maple bacon and covered with creamy goat’s cheese.
Creamy Chive & Onion Sweet Potato Mash with Pecan Topping reinvents mashed potatoes. Rich, tangy cream cheese creates a super smooth mash that nicely contrasts with the crunchy pecan garnish.
