Ingredient of the Month: Sweet Potato

First off, sorry that it has been quite a few months (cough, three, cough) since I posted an Ingredient of the Month.

You can be sure that I was enjoying all of summer’s ingredients…maybe so much that I didn’t take the time to stop and write about them or photograph them.

Today’s ingredient is very close to my heart as North Carolina is the number 1 producer of sweet potatoes in the US. Even before I moved to NC, I loved the taste, health benefits and versatility of this orange tuber.

Tell me more:

Sweet potatoes grow like any other potato, in the dirt. There are several varieties (of which I don’t know much about) with varying shades of orange (and even white) inside a brown to red to purple skin.

Where do I buy it:

If you live in NC or another sweet potato-producing state, get yourself to your nearest farmers market and you’ll be sure to find sweet potatoes. Another bonus, you get a lot of bang to your buck with these guys. When my local farm stand closed up a week ago, I got to buy a box of them to last me through the fall/winter months (and maybe more).

Where do I store it:

Sweet potatoes loves cool, dry and dark places. I usually put mine in the bottom of my pantry in a paper bag. Do not store wet.

How do I use it:

Man, there are so many great ways to use sweet taters, and I feel like I try new things with them all of the time. They are so versatile because they can go either sweet or savory so easily.

If you’re a sweet potato novice, I suggest making one of my favorite meals by baking a washed and poked (and otherwise naked) sweet potato in a 400-degree oven for about an hour, or until soft. Top with butter, salt and pepper (or black beans and cheese for extra protein). For a shortcut or a quick work lunch, cook a washed and poked sweet potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Otherwise, you can chop sweet potato into strips and make oven sweet potato fries (just toss with olive oil and seasonings and bake at 425 for 30 or so minutes), or mash them or even make into a pie!

Here are some other ways to use sweet potatoes: