The versatile sweet potato can take it all. It can be used in a sweet dish or as a savoury, in soup or as a chip, in tarts and frittata, scones or pastas.

Also known as a golden kumara, the sweet potato isn’t actually a potato at all, but from the family which includes morning glories.

While we considered it to be a Pacific Island ingredient, this once key tuber from the Maori diet is believed to have come from South America many centuries ago.

When steamed, gently boiled or baked, its flesh turns soft and buttery. Choose firm sweet potatoes without any blemishes or ends that look a bit dry. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a week.

There is plenty of goodness in the skin, so scrub and cook whole or sliced. Alternatively peel, boil or steam, and then mash with a bit of white pepper and salt. I like them as ovenbaked cubes mixed in with a salad or used in gnocchi instead of potato.

Thinly slice, toss in thyme leaves and olive oil, then chargrill until tender and cover with cheese or use it as a base for a vegetarian lasagne or stack with a tasty cheese sauce.

Source

Taste.com.au - August 2012

Author

Grant Jones

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