# Savory Sweet Potatoes (and other vegetable recipes) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305 "2011-04-22T00:39:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/21 "2011-04-22T18:40:03Z")
> [@](#): > > I like sweet potatoes braised in chicken broth Most vegetables are very good when braised in chicken broth. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/22 "2011-04-22T18:55:28Z")
I wonder if you could do a sweet potato soup, like you would a butternut squash soup? I make a pretty banging butternut squash soup, which is just roasted butter nut squash, some half&half, salt, pepper, ginger, a dash of nutmeg, and blitzed in the blender. I use veg stock to get it to the consistency that I like. It seems like sweet pots would have about the same starch as a squash. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/23 "2011-04-22T23:12:41Z")
So, I just tried the hashing. I see that I put the potatoes in too early, because I really like to give my onions time to turn to mush for something like this, but with regular potatoes you need to start cooking before they oxidize. Also, I had to keep the heat low, because (presumably due to the higher sugar levels) the sweet potatoes started browning almost immediately. Fine as long as I don’t let them burn. As stiff as the were while cutting, they turned to soft surprisingly fast. And as far as taste, it’s more or less exactly what you’d expect from sweet potato fried with onions. Mmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/24 "2011-04-25T01:34:17Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > For those of you who want nice, sweet sweet potatoes without adding stuff to them, check out Red Garnet Yams. They’re like the best sweet potato in the world, with no additives at all. Just bake them until soft, add some butter & salt, and be happy. Intense sweet potato flavor all on their own. I just tried these, and I’m sorry to say I’m underwhelmed. Next time I’m at the store -prolly tomorrow - I’ll pick up a couple sweet potatoes and cook 'em the same way for a fair comparison. Since I know you’re all on tintehooks to hear my judgement:rolleyes:, I’ll report back. I’m also waiting for Mr. singular to get home and try his yam - there’s a very good chance it’s my failing and not that of the yam’s. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/25 "2011-04-25T01:48:36Z")
I like sweet potatoes. But I prefer the white ones, rather than the orange ones people call ‘yams’. My favourite way to eat them is how I was introduced to them as a kid in Japan. Bake a white sweet potato. Split it open. Add some butter or margarine. Eat. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/26 "2011-04-25T03:46:43Z")
Like a lot of people, I peel and chunk them, roast them with some oil – and curry powder. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Caiata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Caiata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caiata)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/27 "2011-04-25T15:32:25Z")
Most of my sweet potato dishes are just sweet potato wedges + chipotle powder baked until crispy on the outside and deliciously soft and fluffy on the inside. The spicy chipotle really works well with the sweet potato flavour. Once, I sliced a sweet potato very thinly and put it on a pizza with smoked chicken, bacon, and rosemary. It was amazing. I don’t make it any more because I could seriously eat, I don’t know, 4 or 5 pizzas in a sitting, it is so good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/28 "2011-04-25T19:48:57Z")
I’ve started throwing them into random recipes by either grating or small dicing them and chucking them into things, most recently a batch of lentils. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/29 "2011-04-25T20:32:11Z")
Scalloped. For Easter we did a batch with regular white potatoes, and one with sweet. The sweets ran out first. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/30 "2011-04-25T20:36:44Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > Oh actually something that worked out really well - > > Fairly large chunks of broccoli and cauliflower > Half of their size chunks of sweet potato and carrots > > Tossed with fresh garlic, sea salt and olive oil and then baked in a single layer on a cookie sheet for about 25 mins at 375. > > Watch closely though what you want is the vegetables soft and then starting to crisp. Tasty and good for you 🙂 This is great with almost any vegetable. I like throwing squash and asparagus or maybe bell pepper into the mix too. Oven roasted veggies are the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![hamwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hamwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hamwater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/31 "2011-04-26T22:04:57Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I like sweet potatoes braised in chicken broth with garlic and ginger- it’s a simple recipe and tastes so incredibly good. > > 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces > One onion, cut so you have thin half-circles of onion > 1 clove garlic, minced > 2 tbsp oilve oil > 1 cup (packed) spinach leaves, torn into pieces > 1/2 cup chicken (or veg) broth > 1/2 tsp ginger > Pepper > > Cook the onion and garlic in oil until the onions are soft and golden. You can use a frying pan but I used my flat Le Creuset dutch oven because the whole thing goes into the oven afterwards. Stir in the chopped sweet potatoes and add the ginger and pepper. Pour the chicken broth over it all and put it into the oven, covered, at 425F for about 25 minutes. Obviously, if you used a frying pan for the onion part, transfer it all to an oven-safe dish first! Check it after 20 minutes, because the cooking time varies depending how small you chopped the sweet potatoes. When you can stick a fork through the potatoes, stir in the spinach leaves and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes (still covered). > [This is what it looks like](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzDQ_hzw9Hk/TaPFVeDvE2I/AAAAAAAAAU0/xLYDtc1yZVc/s1600/img_1208.jpg) when it’s ready to eat. This sounds fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![hamwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hamwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hamwater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/32 "2011-04-26T22:06:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I like sweet potatoes. > > But I prefer the white ones, rather than the orange ones people call ‘yams’. > > My favourite way to eat them is how I was introduced to them as a kid in Japan. Bake a white sweet potato. Split it open. Add some butter or margarine. Eat. What is a white sweet potato like? I don’t think I have ever seen one and I know I have never eaten one. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/33 "2011-04-26T22:22:47Z")
[White sweet potato](http://www.saurapride.com/SPSP-OH.jpg) The white sweet potato is firmer and less sweet than the orange sweet potatoes we call ‘yams’. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/34 "2011-04-27T21:03:54Z")
Did you ever have [daigakuimo](http://http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sweetpotato/r/daigakuimo.htm)during your time in Japan? I had some at a kaitenzushi and I couldn’t get enough of them! They’re on the sweet side but you could cut down on the sugar and adjust it to your tastes. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/35 "2011-04-27T21:22:24Z")
Hey, **Hamwater** (or anyone else) - have you tried that braised recipe yet? I don’t know how I missed it before, but we have one sweet left in the pantry \ and I think I know what’s for dinner toniiiiiight! \ Thanks in advance, **Antigen.** ---
**Author:** ![hamwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hamwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hamwater)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/36 "2011-04-28T01:16:16Z")
I have not tried that yet. I am visiting my parents until Monday and then I plan to start cooking like a fool. I got my food processor back from a friend today and I am going to try and use that too. I thought I’d blend up some mushrooms and spinach and incorporate it into meatloaf, and maybe try some other similar things to get more vegetables in my daily menu. It’s not that I don’t like vegetables, I do, I don’t know why it is so difficult for me to eat enough of them. Usually I just heat up a Green Giant microwave pouch and serve it on the side but that is ridiculous when there are so many great ways to cook them and so many choices. I’ve just been lazy I guess. The ideas in this thread have been most helpful though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/37 "2011-04-28T02:56:20Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > Did you ever have [daigakuimo](http://http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sweetpotato/r/daigakuimo.htm)during your time in Japan? No, we just had ‘The Ishiyakimo Man’. He had a pedal cart with roasted sweet potatoes, and he called out ‘Oishii yaki imo!’ And they were _oishii_. Cheap, too. ¥50, which was about a nickel at the time. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/38 "2011-04-28T03:35:49Z")
You could make a [Jamaican Patty](http://www.google.com/search?q=jamaican+pastries&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=vpI&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=jamaican+patties&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=822bf32b5c0e0691) with some curry goat and yellow yams. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/39 "2011-04-28T04:54:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > No, we just had ‘The Ishiyakimo Man’. He had a pedal cart with roasted sweet potatoes, and he called out ‘Oishii yaki imo!’ And they were _oishii_. Cheap, too. ¥50, which was about a nickel at the time. Nice. They were always selling yaki imo at the conbinis but I was on a diet at the time (:rolleyes:) so I always passed. Such a dumb thing to do, looking back on it. I missed out on so much good food when I was there, argh! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305/40 "2011-04-28T05:43:14Z")
Know what? The other day I had a craving for spiced potatoes like they serve at Deannie’s in New Orleans. I couldn’t find a specific recipe on line, but a couple of sources confirmed what I thought, it’s basically crab boil with extra cayenne added for the zing. Someone said Deannie’s used Zatarain’s crab boil, but I just put 3 tablespoons of Old Bay and 3 tablespoons of Cayenne in a gallon of water and boiled up some small red potatoes. They were fabulous, and I’ll be doing this more often. Now I’m not a huge fan of sweet potatoes and yams myself (except for sweet potato pie for some reason). But now I’m going to try out the spices on some and see if that makes them more palatable to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/savory-sweet-potatoes-and-other-vegetable-recipes/579305.md?page=3)