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There’s so much more to sweet potatoes than that much-loved casserole found on many a Thanksgiving table. Try them baked, as home fries, mashed with other root vegetables, or made into crispy pancakes. Beyond the side dish, they feature in soup, stew, chili, and curry—ones with meat and ones without. And then there is the "sweet" side of sweet potatoes, playing a starring role in pies, puddings, and cakes.
Though sweet potatoes are available year round, they are at their sweetest in fall and winter. They are sometimes mislabeled as yams, which are actually not widely available in North America (but are also delicious).
When shopping for sweet potatoes, look for ones that are very firm, with no areas of softening, sprouting, or wrinkling, all of which are signs of age. To store sweet potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place for up to one month. They should never be kept in the refrigerator, as their natural sugars will convert to starch, making them less sweet.
Smashed Salt-and-Vinegar Sweet Potatoes
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Steamed till fork tender, then drizzled with olive oil and roasted until they are crispy and golden, these smashed sweet potatoes are irresistible. Serve them with a drizzle of a light vinegar, like Champagne vinegar, and watch them disappear fast.
Spiced Sweet-Potato Cake with Meringue Frosting
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This spectacular single layer cake pairs sweet potatoes with pumpkin pie spice—and it’s a great combination. On top is an Italian meringue frosting that’s toasted under the broiler (or using your kitchen torch).
Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup
A bowl of this creamy, soothing sweet potato soup is comfort indeed. The sweetness of the tubers is balanced by a subtle spice from canned chipotles in adobo. The creamy consistency is all down to the sweet potatoes since this soup is made without dairy (sour cream is optional for serving).
Sweet-Potato Biscuits
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Amp up the color and nutrition of your breakfast baked goods by making these sweet potato biscuits. They bring everything you love about homemade biscuits and then some to the table.
Baked Sweet-Potato Chips
Crispy, tasty, and good for you, these homemade sweet potato chips make the best snack—and are also a great accompaniment to a sandwich lunch.
Cauliflower-Sweet Potato Curry
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A satisfying vegan main that appeals on so many levels; hunks of sweet potato and cauliflower soak up a coconut milk and red curry sauce. Baby spinach, edamame, and zucchini bring plenty of green appeal. This might be the most colorful—and delicious—dinner of the week.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
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These sweet potato pancakes are too good to save for Hannukah. They’re a tasty riff on latkes that you’ll want to make all through the fall and winter.
Sweet-Potato Pudding
Wake up to this nourishing vegan pudding for breakfast. Roast a sweet potato the night before to shorten prep time in the morning. This recipe serves two but feels free to double or triple it in order to treat your entire family to a warming breakfast.
Tzimmes
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Served as a side dish for Passover, this traditional stew combines sweet potatoes and carrots with prunes and dried apricots, cooking them in orange juice and honey. It pairs well with robust meat dishes like brisket.
Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew
In under one hour, you can prepare this hearty vegan stew. Chopped sweet potatoes are cooked with a combination of whole and puréed black beans, quinoa, minced chipotle in adobo, and chopped poblano peppers.
Slow-Baked Sweet Potatoes
There's no way to rush when making this easy, healthy side dish—medium sweet potatoes are wrapped in parchment and foil and roasted for an hour and a half until they're super tender and their sweet flavor shines. The cook time might be lengthy, but very little of it is hands-on.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Here's a Thanksgiving classic: Mashed sweet potatoes are placed in a baking dish, topped with marshmallows, and baked until bubbling and golden brown. Who could resist this sweet side?
Brown-Butter Sweet-Potato Gnocchi with Seeds
Upgrade basic gnocchi by using sweet potatoes in place of the usual russet in this colorful, better-for-you pasta recipe. They're garnished with pepitas, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and a butter-sage sauce.
Taco Salad with Sweet-Potatoes
Roasted sweet potatoes are the base of this Southwestern-inspired salad bowl. They're topped with black beans, sliced radishes, crushed tortilla chips, and crumbled goat cheese (which you can leave off for a vegan meal).
Sweet-Potato Toast Four Ways
Instead of sandwich bread, substitute thin slices of roasted sweet potatoes as the base for a gluten-free breakfast or lunch toast. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs and spinach; sliced avocado and cocktail tomatoes; nut butter and berries; or hummus, sliced cucumbers, and radishes.
Rutabaga-Sweet Potato Mash with Garlic and Sage
Take a break from the usual mashed potatoes and serve your family this innovative root vegetable side dish instead. Rutabaga and sweet potatoes are mashed with minced garlic, fresh sage, and heavy cream for a flavorful autumnal recipe.
Sweet-Potato Custard Pie
Yes, you can serve sweet potatoes for dessert! Roasted sweet potatoes are puréed in a food processor and mixed with eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then topped with mouthwateringly sweet large marshmallows.
Roasted Sea Bass with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Salsa Rustica
Sheet-pan suppers are big on taste and short on cleanup. Sliced sweet potatoes roast alongside fresh spinach and sea bass fillets. This recipe comes together in under an hour and will surely be a hit with the whole family.
Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
This vegan chili recipe doesn't lack flavor—tomato paste, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper add plenty of heat.
Sweet Potato Home Fries
Upgrade bacon and eggs with these breakfast potatoes. Diced sweet potatoes are roasted on a sheet pan, then tossed with chopped onion, green bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, and plenty of unsalted butter.
Sweet-Potato-and-Cauliflower Mash
Here's a totally creative way to make use of cauliflower: boil it with sweet potatoes and then mash with milk, butter, freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. It's a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving—or any night of the week.
Soba and Sweet Potatoes in Miso-Lime Broth
Nourishing, healthy, and hearty, this warm noodle bowl is packed with shiitake mushrooms, diced sweet potatoes, sliced baby bok choy, plus aromatics like scallions, garlic, sweet white miso, and fresh lime juice.
Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Loaded sweet potatoes get a healthy upgrade with this better-for-you recipe featuring trimmed broccoli rabe, cannellini beans for protein, and sliced pepperoncini.
West African Peanut Stew
This flavorful, family-friendly stew comes together in under one hour. It's loaded with collard greens and sweet potatoes, which float in a combination of chicken broth and creamy peanut butter.
Pork Tenderloin with Kale Salad
This simple dinner will transport you to Tuscany. Diced sweet potatoes are roasted with chopped kale for a colorful, plentiful salad that's topped with dried currants and lots of freshly grated pecorino. It's served alongside pork tenderloin and steamed quinoa.
Sweet Potato Parmesan Fries
A healthy take on French fries, we keep the skin on for these sweet potato fries. The potatoes are tossed with olive oil, coarse salt, and Parmesan cheese for a rich, sweet flavor and a slightly caramelized texture.
Sweet Potato-Sausage Soup
Twenty minutes of prep time yields a hearty pot of soup with Italian sausage aplenty, pasta shells, sweet potato, and nutritious winter greens.
Sweet Potatoes and Buttermilk
Simply roasted wedges of sweet potatoes take on an almost candied flavor. Pair them with an easy, tangy buttermilk-mayo for dipping.
Sweet Potato and Sage-Butter Casserole
Sage adds a savory note to sweet-potato casserole topped with crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. Best of all: It can be made two days ahead of time.
Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
Bourbon and brown sugar have a natural affinity for sweet potatoes. This simple side dish can be roasted in the oven along with the main dish such as turkey, ham, or pork loin.
Boneless Pork Chops and Roasted Yam Fries
Pork loin medallions are dredged in breadcrumbs that are with seasoned with oregano. The earthy, fatty flavors pair well with sweet yams tossed in dark brown sugar.
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