How to cook sweet potato?

Everything you need to know about sweet potatoes

Its name is still confusing. It suggests that this strange tropical tuber would be a close relative of the potato, but in a sweet version. However, nothing could be less true! Of course, it comes to us – like the potato – from the Americas and also offers pretty shades of color: from cream to purple, including orange. Because there are around four hundred varieties even if, on our stalls, we mainly find specimens with coral flesh. Counting 62.8 kcal/100g, sweet potato contains many essential micronutrients, such as iron or potassium, and antioxidants which help slow down the aging of our cells. Sweet potatoes, particularly orange-fleshed varieties, are rich in beta-carotene, a plant pigment that our body converts into vitamin A. Essential to the functioning of the human body, vitamin A helps maintain good hygiene of the skin and eyes. , and the immune system as well as the mucous membranes. Overconsumption, however, this vitamin can be toxic to the body, which is not the case with beta-carotene, since the body only converts the necessary dose.

Like its parmentière rival, it can also be served with fries and mashed potatoes. But the similarities end there. Provided it is very finely grated and mixed in a salad with a vinaigrette, other vegetables or fruits, it can be eaten raw. It goes equally well in a velouté as a starter (especially combined with carrot), as well as with strong-tasting cheeses such as feta, goat’s cheese or raclette, roast meat dishes or in a cake for dessert. . Quite low in calories despite its mild flavor, it fits easily into a light diet and offers a delicious way to diversify babies’ meals.

How to cook sweet potato?

How to choose it?

It should be firm to the touch, heavy in the hand and without blemishes, signs of freshness. Don’t choose it too crooked, it will be easier to peel. Does it give off too strong a smell? Run away !

How to prepare it?

It is not necessary to peel it because its skin is very thin, but it must be brushed and washed well. If you do not handle it immediately after cutting it, soak it in cold water, as its flesh blackens quickly in contact with air.

How to cook it?

In the oven, between 45 and 50 minutes at 180°/th. 6, opened in two, first squaring the flesh. In boiling water, it cooks in 20 minutes with 1 gram of coarse salt for 90 grams of sweet potato. In a pan, it browns in 15 minutes in a little oil and can be flavored with basil. In the microwave, 6 minutes at maximum power, in a small amount of water, covered with unpierced plastic film, and that’s it.

How to decline it?

Mashed, fried or simply baked, sweet potatoes go well with everything. Its sweetness is such that it works wonders in desserts, such as the famous sweet potato cake from Reunion Island.

How to store it?

Sensitive to cold, which could harden its core, raw and unpeeled sweet potatoes will do well in a dry, cool place (around 12°C). When cooked, it will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator, in a container with a lid. You can also freeze it in airtight bags, but not for more than a year.

His origins

Its pretty orange color is also very popular with children: a good change from pasta and rice! If it was the navigator Christopher Columbus who imported it to Europe, we find, in France, written traces attesting to its presence from 1750. Faithful to its tropical origins, it is sensitive to cold, which is why it It is imperative to avoid the refrigerator. Its growing success in France means that more and more of it is imported from Asia but also from the West Indies. And for some time now, it has even been cultivated in Provence… All the more reason to take full advantage of its richness in minerals, antioxidants and beta-carotenes, which will give us a healthy glow and good eyes all winter long!