Sweet potato 101

November 14, 2023 by
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We are headed to the time of year in the US when more sweet potatoes are served than perhaps the rest of the year combined. Families that never eat the tubers at any other time will trot out sweet potato casseroles and sides during the holidays. This serves as a great opportunity to brush up on the different varieties available and how best to use them, as Serious Eats does in its Field Guide to Sweet Potatoes.

A blue-green bowl holds cooked, diced orange fleshed sweet potatoes dotted with tiny black black seeds and bits of scallion

First up, we learn that sweet potatoes are not potatoes at all, even though both grow underground. Botanically speaking, they are members of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae) and their Latin name is Ipomoea batatas. Serious Eats’ Elazar Sontag also schools us on the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, and why the former are often labeled as the latter when again, they are not botanically related.

Next, the article dives into the commonly-found sweet potato varieties we will encounter at most supermarkets: Beauregard, jewel, and garnet. All are orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and given the photographs in the article, I think you would have a hard time knowing if a sweet potato was a Beauregard or jewel unless it was labeled; they look so alike. After that, we come to the less common varieties that have white, purple, or yellowish innards. Of these, I have only rarely encountered the deep purple Okinawa variety and have never seen the other two. These are more likely to show up in specialty stores or farmers markets.

One of the linked recipes might make an appearance at our Thanksgiving dinner – the Miso-scallion roasted sweet potatoes pictured above. I don’t care for the overly sweet, marshmallow-topped casserole that my husband grew up eating and these look like they will firmly push the flavor profile over to the savory side rather than the sweet one. What’s your favorite way to make sweet potatoes?

Category: Cooking Tips

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9 Comments

  • Fyretigger  on  November 14, 2023

    I grew up with Thanksgiving sweet potatoes — brown sugar, marshmallows, etc. But my favorite forms are one diced into every batch of Dal, and when made into GOOD sweet potato fries.

  • KatieK1  on  November 15, 2023

    We frequently use the recipe in the Jerusalem Cookbook roasting sweet potato wedges, but without the sauce.

  • lean1  on  November 15, 2023

    Roasted in the oven with a little bit of olive oil till they carmelize. Perfect!

  • Rinshin  on  November 15, 2023

    I do not care too much for American type orange fleshed sweet potatoes because texture seems soft and watery but love Japanese variety which are yellow fleshed purple skinned and Okinawan purple skinned purple fleshed ones.

  • ellabee  on  November 15, 2023

    ‘Fight the sweetness’ is my approach: spiced&roasted on bitter-ish greens, or in a gratin with cream, chipotle, & sharp cheese.

  • lkgrover  on  November 15, 2023

    I like roasted sweet potatoes with an orange citrus glaze. Last year, I made a fabulous Yam gratin (Gratin d’igname) from Creole Kitchen/Sunshine Kitchen; it contains spring onions, Emmental cheese, onions, and parsley.

  • tmjellicoe  on  November 15, 2023

    I like them cooked whole (either the oven or microwave)then mashed with butter and pepper. If I’m feeling special or serving kids, I’ll add a bit of brown sugar. For special occasions, it’s cooked as above, then sliced into a casserole dish and baked with butter and brown sugar sprinkled on top until hot and glazed.

  • FuzzyChef  on  November 16, 2023

    The miso thing is really good. You should try it. It’s even better if you broil them a bit.

  • abentsen  on  December 2, 2023

    This year we added Sweet Potatoes with Smoked Gouda. They have a touch of cayenne which adds a nice spice. Will definitely add this to our Thanksgiving meal next year.

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