Dyersburg Online

NASHVILLE, TN — “Americans do a lot of reflecting this time of year,” says Tammy Algood, “about our history, about our blessings and about our priorities.  We also do a lot of eating.  This year, combine these traditional activities and invite a great American food to your holiday table: the sweet potato.”

Sweet potatoes are the focus of Algood’s latest “Pick Tennessee Products” seasonal recipe, Sweet Potato Souffles.  Tennessee grown sweet potatoes can be found at virtually every local farmers market across the state beginning in August and increasing through the fall, peaking in October and November. 

“Pick Tennessee Products” is the promotional campaign developed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Market Development Division to help consumers identify and choose food products grown or processed in Tennessee.  Algood creates recipes featuring food products grown or processed in Tennessee.  Her recipes are featured on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Web site at www.picktnproducts.org. 

“The sweet potato is a native of the Americas, enjoyed by Columbus and his shipmates,” says Algood,  “even receiving a mention in their ship records during their fourth voyage.”  In the islands off the coast of Yucatan and Honduras, the sweet potato was called axi and batatas or betatas by the natives.  Sweet potatoes were cultivated in Virginia by 1648 or earlier, and are said to have been taken into New England in 1764.

“This native American plant was a main source of nourishment for early homesteaders and for soldiers during the Revolutionary War,” says the Pick Tennessee Products spokesperson.  “Quickly assessed as one of the most nutritious foods in the vegetable kingdom, they led one colonial physician to pronounce them the ‘vegetable indispensable.’”

Why has the sweet potato become a particularly Southern phenomenon?  The love of sweet potatoes grew into Southern culture, says Algood, because it thrives in hot, moist climates, unlike the Irish potato, which requires a cooler climate.

“And no, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same item,” says Algood. “The confusion in names is unfortunate, since the yam is an entirely different plant, belonging to the genus Dioscorea.  True yams are large, starchy roots grown in Africa and Asia. Yams can grow up to 100 pounds and are rarely available in American supermarkets. Fortunately for us, sweet potatoes greatly outweigh yams, nutritionally.”

Sweet potatoes are considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables.  This nutritious vegetable provides 42 percent of the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, 6 percent of the RDA for calcium, 10 percent of the RDA for iron, and 8 percent of the RDA for thiamine for healthy adults.  A complex carbohydrate food source, it is also a good source of vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of manganese.

A cup of sweet potatoes cooked with skin on provides 30 mg (50,000 IU) of beta-carotene (vitamin A); “It would take 23 cups of broccoli to provide the same amount!” says the food expert.  “They are also a good source of vitamin E, and are virtually fat free.  Lots of vitamin E rich foods, like vegetable oils, nuts and avocados, contain a hefty dose of fat, so consider that a mere two-thirds of a cup of sweet potatoes provides 100 percent of the RDA for vitamin E.  Plus, they’re a great source of dietary fiber -- in fact, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal!”

For the most food value, choose sweet potatoes of a deep orange color, says Algood.  Choose firm, relatively smooth sweet potatoes without wrinkles, bruises, sprouts, or decay. Even if cut away, a decayed spot may have already caused the whole potato to take on an unpleasant flavor.

“Don't store sweet potatoes in your refrigerator, because temperatures below 55 F will chill this tropical vegetable, giving it a hard core and an odd taste when cooked,” says Algood.  “To keep them fresh, store them for up to a month in a dry, cool (55-60 F) place, like a cellar, pantry or garage.  Sweet potatoes contain an enzyme that converts most of its starches into sugars as the potato matures. This sweetness continues to increase during storage and when they are cooked. 

“At normal room temperature, they should be used within a week of purchase. You may brush off any excess dirt before storing, but do not wash them until you are ready to cook them. It’s the moisture from washing that increases their spoilage.”

”Wash sweet potatoes well before cooking, because you want to cook them in their skins whenever possible,” says Algood.  “Most of the nutrients are next to the skin, and skins are easier to remove after they have been cooked, anyway.”  Algood recommends piercing the potato skin with a fork, then placing potatoes in a pan and cooking at 375 F for about 45 minutes or until tender. Cool potatoes slightly before removing skins.  Once cooked, most sweet potato dishes freeze well.

“Sweet potatoes can be cooked in a microwave oven to save time,” says Algood. “Wash and pierce potatoes as usual, then place them on a paper towel. The cooking time for 2 medium potatoes is on high for 5–9 minute, and 4 potatoes, 10–13 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave.”

Yellow and dark orange sweet potatoes can be used interchangeably in recipes, but “Try not to mix the two types in a single dish, because their different textures and cooking times may affect the outcome of the recipe,” says Algood. The dark orange variety is plumper in shape and somewhat sweeter than the yellow variety. The yellow variety takes longer to cook than the orange and will be done at the upper range of cooking times.

Algood’s holiday recipe, Sweet Potato Souffles, focuses on the savory rather than the sweet side of this important food.  “We’ve all had plenty of that super-sweet casserole with the marshmallows on top,” says Algood.  “My recipe is an elegant alternate that lets the sweetness of the potato speak for itself and allows other, more complex flavors to join in.”

“Souffles have a bad reputation for being difficult to make, but this recipe is mistake-proof,” says the food expert.

The thing that demands the most attention in this dish, says Algood, is not the potatoes, but the mushrooms.  “You have to reduce them with the wine and the sherry,” says Algood,  “and by reduce I mean that the liquid should be almost gone.

“Reducing in a wok is best, because woks have the least amount of surface area on the bottom of the pan.  A true sauce pan has a sort of ‘v’ shape, which produces the same type of effect.”

And don’t try to place the mushrooms in some pretty arrangement on top of the soufflé instead of covering the bottom of the ramekins with them.  “You can’t put anything on top, or the soufflé won’t rise,” says Algood.   “Think of the mushrooms as the ‘surprise’ at the bottom of the dish.  If you really want the mushrooms to take center stage, invert the dish on the plate, later.”

If  Sweet Potato Souffles are included at your holiday table, Algood is certain that when the time comes to reflect on the year’s blessings, “The sweet potatoes will reflect well on you.”

Visit www.picktnproducts.org  to find local farmers markets, more recipes, and more information about other Tennessee farm products.