Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) are members of morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, native to Central and South America. Their large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are a vegetable popular in the American South where they are often called "yams."

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Sweet Potatoes are not related to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) nor to true yams.  The true yam (Dioscoreae alata) is a rough and starchy root vegetable.  Although yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable to many Americans, true yams belong to another plant group; most African yams found for sale in USA are large, with fibrous skin and pale white flesh.  

So what is it, sweet potato or yam?  Chances are if you buy it in the supermarket, its a sweet potato. 

Curing sweet potatoes in Mississippi

Compared with white- and yellow-fleshed potato varieties, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber and antioxidants.  A sweet potato by any other name is still a rich source of anti-inflammatory nutrients, most notably, beta carotene.

For Mississippi natives, like me, sweet potatoes were always served hot out of the roasting pan with butter, their slightly crumpled skins pulling away easily, revealing tender flesh.  

The white root is a true yam.  The orange tuber is a Mississippi sweet potato.

For generations of Southerners who grew up in rural towns and then moved to metropolitan areas in the United States, the month of November means trying to secure fresh sweet potatoes, preferably covered in Mississippi clay, for holiday meals. (The soil prevents mold and prolongs the potato’s cellar life).

I've found sweet potatoes for sale this pandemic year at big box retailers like Sam's Club and Costco but they are of the washed and processed variety.  They will not last as long as fresh and they won't taste as sweet.

Myrrh's Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) sweet potato 

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
½ cup milk
2 eggs
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

Step 1
Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.

Step 2
Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Step 3
Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Why Mississippi?

Vardaman, Mississippi is located in the heart of Mississippi's sweet potato growing region.

Vardaman, Mississippi is the self-proclaimed Sweet Potato Capital of the World.  Vardaman is about a 2 hour drive NE of Jackson or a 2 hour drive SE of Memphis.  Hundreds of thousands of acres around Vardaman are dedicated to the beloved Mississippi Sweet Potato.  Since 1973, the Vardaman has held an annual Sweet Potato Festival (canceled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic).

Why Mississippi?  Because the orange-fleshed “taters” grow best in warm climates and dry, clayey soils. Plus, after harvesting, providing a calculated dose of direct heat and humidity, a process known as curing, is needed to fully form the potato’s sugar profile; small growers find a dry spot to lay out the sweet potatoes and give them a sun bath. 

Different colors represent different soil types on this geologic map of Mississippi highlighting the Sweet Potato growing region around Calhoun County.

Both soil composition and proper curing are necessary for creamy vegetables that don’t require a lot of extra butter or sugar.  When a sweet potato isn’t cured well (like those in big net bags at big box retailers), you can taste the difference.

Calhoun County is located in a soil transition zone as you can see from the geologic map above.  The soils are transition from bauxitic clays to dark-gray clays to the Clayton Formation (sandy clays and marl) at the transition to the Appalachian foothills.  These soils are ideal for growing sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Bloom

In 1922, George Washington Carver released “How the Farmer Can Save His Sweet Potatoes and Ways of Preparing It for the Table,” a 23-page booklet that served as a resource for farmers and cooks. Almost a century later, Carver’s dictum that “time is an essential element, it should be kept in the oven for an hour” is still the secret to accentuating the sweet potato’s natural flavor.

Transporting regional provisions across invisible borders is a phenomenon that never dies, and the fall season increases the urgency. Southern nuts and fruit that come direct from the grower are difficult to find beyond the South or require a sophisticated scavenger hunt. During the great migrations of the 20th century, Black and white Americans from Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas resettled in New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit. Then, as now, expats from below the Mason-Dixon line traveled with pecans, wild persimmons, muscadine grapes and the rest of the season’s harvest. 

Ditch the sodium-bomb seasoning packets and sour cream-and-mayonnaise–laden dip (which can pack a small meal’s worth of calories and sat fat into a single serving) for homemade dip. And be patient with the caramelizing process—slowly sizzled onions have noteworthy sweetness and concentrated umami. You’ll know the onions are done when they become deep chestnut in color and nearly melt-in-your-mouth tender. And because no dip is complete without a dipper, baked sweet potatoes will satisfy your chip craving for half the calories of most bagged varieties. Dehydrating the potatoes in the oven before roasting helps them develop crispy edges and tender centers. With big flavor and less heft, our healthier ode to the classic is a delicious way to sneak in extra vegetables.

Onion Dip with Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and ends trimmed
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 (8-oz.) yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium Worcestershire sauce
10 ounces soft tofu, drained and patted dry
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°F.

Step 2
Using a mandoline, slice sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl; add 2 teaspoons oil, and toss to coat.

Step 3
Place sweet potato slices in a single layer on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper; sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 200°F for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400°F; bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Step 4
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add onion; sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in shallots, thyme, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 5
Increase heat to medium. Add garlic and Worcestershire sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and let cool 15 minutes.

Step 6
Place tofu, yogurt, and juice in a blender; process until smooth. Stir together onion mixture and yogurt mixture in a bowl. Top with chives. Serve with sweet potato chips.

Pairing Wine with Sweet Potatoes

Wine paired with sweet potatoes should be versatile enough to encompass a whole range of flavors. A crisp, dry sparkling wine would be an obvious choice, whether Champagne, cava or the myriad others made around the world. A dry or moderately sweet riesling would also go well, as would perennially flexible wines like sauvignon blanc or grüner veltliner. I would be happy to drink chenin blanc with fresh sweet potatoes. If you are open to dry rosés in cold weather months, this is a great opportunity to serve one. Beaujolais and pinot noir would be good bets if you are set on a red.