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GET ROOTED
Native to Central and South America, sweet potatoes have been cultivated around the world for over 5,000 years. In the U.S, we are most familiar with the orange-fleshed Jewel and Garnet varieties, but there are also the Hannah and Murasaki, which have a creamy white interior, and the purple-hued Okinawan and Charleston Purple. Sweet potatoes are excellent when roasted, a popular street food in Japan and Korea.
BUYING AND COOKING
Look for sweet potatoes with smooth skin that are dense, firm and free of bruises and sprouts. These versatile tubers can be boiled, fried and baked, but nothing quite coaxes out their sweet, earthy flavor like a simple roast in the oven. In addition to savory dishes, their sweetness makes these super veggies an excellent choice for pies, cakes and muffins.
AROUND RVA
Joyebells: Available at Food Lion and Sam’s Club stores, locally made sweet potato pies rely on a sixth-generation family recipe from owner Joye B. Moore.
Leek & Thistle: Creamy, sweet and lightly spiced, sweet potato coconut curry bisque combines the warm, earthy flavor of curry with nutty coconut.
Beauvine Burger Concept: Any time you can upgrade regular fries to sweet potato waffle fries, do it. The crispy, lightly salted side is the go-to move at this Fan spot.
Michelle Parrish, owner of Soul N’ Vinegar (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
LOCAL FLAVOR
“One of the ways we love to use sweet potatoes at the shop is to slow roast them in the oven so they get perfectly sweet and creamy, and then chill them and dice them to add into our hearts of palm ceviche. We just made this dish for a Black farm tour with Duron Chavis and added some green tomatoes from Mark Davis at Real Roots Food Systems, which offered the perfect acidic balance to the sweetness of the potatoes.” —Michelle Parrish, owner of Soul N’ Vinegar
RECIPE
Loaded Sweet Potato Skins
By Stephanie Ganz
These loaded sweet potato skins are a great choice for a cozy app-inspired dinner, or scale up the recipe and serve them to a crowd on game day.
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter, softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
Sour cream and chopped scallions, for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in each with a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Give them a squeeze to see if they’re fully cooked and continue to microwave for 5-minute periods as needed until cooked through.
Once sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato around the edges. Rub the skins all over with olive oil and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until they get crispy around the edges.
Meanwhile, combine the sweet potato flesh, butter and heavy cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the sweet potato mixture among the skins and top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon. Allow to cool slightly before topping with sour cream and chopped scallions.
