Okay so sweet potatoes, right? They’re like this weird veggie that’s kinda sweet but also kinda not, and honestly sometimes I don’t know if I’m cooking them right or not. But whatever, here are some recipes I tried and didn’t totally mess up, so maybe you can try too.
Why Even Bother With Sweet Potatoes?
Honestly, I only started eating sweet potatoes cause people kept saying they’re healthy and stuff. They got a lot of vitamins, fiber, and apparently keep you full for long (which is good cause I snack too much lol). Plus you can do sweet or salty recipes with them, so they’re pretty chill.
Recipe 1: Roast ‘Em Till Crispy
First thing first, chop sweet potatoes in whatever shape you want. Cubes, wedges, fries, whatever. I just eyeball it, sometimes too big sometimes too small. Toss with some oil (I don’t measure, just drizzle) and salt. Sometimes I put pepper or that dried herb stuff I forgot the name of.
Put in oven, like 400 or 425°F, not really sure, for about 25 mins. Halfway toss ’em so they don’t burn. If you like spicy, throw chili powder or paprika. I usually forget but when I remember it’s pretty good.
Recipe 2: Mash It Up
Boil or steam sweet potatoes until they’re soft enough to stab with a fork. Then mash ’em with butter (or margarine if you’re broke like me) and some milk or cream. I add cinnamon sometimes cause why not? And a little brown sugar or honey if I wanna be fancy.
Pro tip: roasting garlic and mixing it in is awesome but I forget that a lot. Next time I’m trying it for sure.
Recipe 3: Fries For Days
Sweet potato fries are a thing and honestly, I love them more than regular fries sometimes. Cut sweet potato into thin sticks (or thick if you want), toss with oil and salt and whatever spices you want. Garlic powder, paprika, pepper, whatever.
Bake at 425°F for like 20 mins. Flip halfway so they cook evenly. Don’t overcrowd or they get soggy and gross. Oh and if you’re feeling extra, sprinkle parmesan on top after baking. Sounds weird but trust me it’s good.
Recipe 4: Soup That Warms You Up
Chop sweet potatoes with onions and garlic and cook them in some broth or water. When soft, blend it all up. Add salt, pepper, and maybe some cream or coconut milk to make it smooth.
I sometimes put curry powder or ginger in, makes it interesting. And chili flakes if you wanna feel the burn.
Recipe 5: Sweet Potato Pancakes (Yeah, Pancakes)
Mix mashed sweet potato with flour, egg, a bit of sugar, cinnamon, and whatever else you got. Make a batter and fry like normal pancakes.
They’re sweet and filling and just different from regular pancakes. Top with syrup or nuts or yogurt if you want. I don’t usually have vanilla extract but I bet that’s good too.
Stuff I Mess Up A Lot
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Sometimes I don’t peel sweet potatoes and get weird chewy bits. The skin is good for you but not everyone likes it.
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Boiling too long and ending up with mushy stuff. Nobody wants gluey sweet potatoes.
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Forgetting to toss when roasting and burning half the batch.
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Using too much soy sauce or salt cause I’m bad at measuring.
Quick Tips I Learned
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You can microwave a sweet potato if you’re lazy like me. Just poke holes and zap it for 5-7 mins.
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If you cut potatoes early, put them in water with lemon juice so they don’t turn weird color.
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Don’t crowd the pan or oven, they need space to get crispy.
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Sweet potatoes don’t always cook evenly so sometimes I cut smaller pieces.
What To Do With Leftovers
Keep leftover sweet potato dishes in fridge in a container. Reheat in microwave or pan with a bit of oil or water so they don’t dry out. Fried sweet potato stuff doesn’t last long tho, eat fast.
Final Thoughts
Sweet potatoes are pretty chill once you get to know them. You can do so much, from sweet to savory, and they’re usually cheap too. Don’t stress if you mess up, it happens to everyone (me a lot). Just keep trying and figure out what flavors you like.
Go make some now, and don’t be scared to experiment! Maybe you’ll invent the next big sweet potato recipe lol.