This post will be a bit of a sequel to the Plant Spotlight: Sweet Potato post from last September. So, now that you all know Josh’s tips for growing sweet potatoes, let’s discuss some of the best ways to get them from your garden to your table!

For 4 servings, you will need 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, or about 1½ pounds. You obviously won’t have as much variety if you are “shopping” from your garden, but if you do happen to be picking up sweet potatoes from the grocery store, try to choose potatoes that are smooth, nicely shaped, firm, and have even-colored skins. It’s also a good idea to choose sweet potatoes that are a similar size, to ensure even cooking.

When prepping your potatoes prior to cooking, give them a good scrubbing, but do not peel them. If you are going to be baking them, you should pierce them a few times with a fork in order to allow steam to escape while they are cooking. When boiling or steaming, you can either leave the potatoes whole or cut them into large pieces, but it might help to know that cutting them into pieces can cut the cooking time in half!

Baking: You will want to bake the sweet potatoes (uncovered) until they are tender. Your cooking time may vary depending on your oven, but here are some general baking guidelines: 375° – approximately 45 minutes, 350° – approximately 1 hour, and 325° – approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Boiling: Place your potatoes in a 2-quart saucepan and add just enough water to cover them. Heat the water until it’s boiling, and then reduce to a low heat. Cover the saucepan and continue to gently boil (simmer) for 20-25 minutes if your potatoes are whole, or 10-15 minutes if you have cut them into pieces. As with baking, the cooking time will vary, so you will know they are ready once they are tender.

Steaming: Whole potatoes should be covered and steamed for 15-20 minutes on the stove. You can also steam them in a microwave, if you’d prefer. When using the microwave steaming method, be sure to pierce your potatoes a few times and then arrange them in your microwave on a paper towel in a “spoke” pattern, with the narrow ends in the center. Microwave 9-11 minute, turning them until they are tender. Then cover them and let them stand for another 5 minutes to complete the steaming.

We seem to have covered the basics, so let’s add in a recipe now, shall we..? For this post, we will be cooking one of my all-time favorites: candied sweet potatoes.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Prep time: 45 minutes, cooking time: 5 minutes, yield: 6 servings

6 medium sweet potatoes or yams (2 pounds)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon salt

1) We will be using the boiling method for this recipe, so place your scrubbed sweet potatoes into a 2-quart saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Heat until the water is boiling, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let them simmer for 20-25 minutes. Once they are tender, remove the pan from the stove and drain, then let the potatoes cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, slide the skins off and cut the potatoes into ½” slices.

(Note: if you need your side dish on the table in a hurry, you can omit step one by replacing the fresh potatoes with a 23-ounce can of sweet potatoes that have been drained and cut into ½” slices.)

2) Heat the remaining ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat (be sure to stir constantly) until smooth and bubbly. Add in the sliced sweet potatoes and stir until glazed and hot. (If, like me, you happen to discover that your skillet isn’t large enough for all of the sweet potato slices, don’t worry! Try a bite of the non-candied sweet potato, I bet you will still find it to be quite delicious).

3) Serve and enjoy!