's motd Tuesday March 15, 2011 - Sweet Potatoes

[Guest guest]

THE "OTHER"

POTATO

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

We all know those white russet

potatoes from Idaho, right? But we also know of those

other potatoes that people from the south

just love. I'm talking about sweet potatoes.

And then there are yams. A lot of people

think that yams and sweet potatoes look a lot alike

and often call them the same. But truth is, they're

two totally different vegetables. Back in New

Orleans, I was raised on sweet potatoes. In fact, I'd

never even heard of a yam when I was a kid.

My father would buy his

Louisiana-grown sweet potatoes at the farmers market

in the French Quarter. There were two types of sweet

potatoes. One was light skinned and the other variety

was a darker skinned potato. My father would bring

the sweet potatoes home, scrub them, poke some holes

in the sides with a fork then bake them at 350 degrees

for about an hour. He'd then slice them vertically,

remove the meat and mix them with sauteed onions and

chunks of pineapple. The only thing I could say after

having a serving was, "Hey Dad, can I have some

more?!"

We always had sweet potatoes during the holidays.

Sometimes my father would whip them up so they were

like super-fluffy mashed potatoes. He'd then add some

butter, a little brown sugar and oh yeah, melt some

marshmallows on top. (Mmmm!) In the south,

of course we were also known for those famous sweet

potato pies!

Then when I moved to Los Angeles,

I discovered the yam. While sweet potatoes are grown

in the American south, yams get their origin from

Latin America. The yam comes in 150 varieties

worldwide. I went to the market one day and, right

next to a display of sweet potatoes, there was a

display of yams. And I must say, they looked very

much alike. But remember, they're completely

different vegetables. The yam is a bit sweeter than

the sweet potato. And get this, I once saw a photo of

a yam from someone's garden that grew to seven-feet

long! Wow! (I buy my yams in a much smaller

size. LOL.)

Sweet potatoes are low in calories and contain no

fat. They're also a rich source of beta-carotene,

vitamin A and contain plenty of potassium.

According to research, yams

actually seem to have anti-weight gain

properties and boy, don't we like the sound of that!

Yams have also been found to contain anti-cancer and

anti-aging properties. More good news!

I keep both sweet potatoes and

yams in my kitchen. I like to make my dad's sweet

potato recipe every now and then. And as I do, I

think of being in our kitchen back on St. Louis Street

in New Orleans, watching him work his "potato magic."

And oh yes, I love a tasty baked yam straight out of

the oven with my dinner on some evenings, too.

Hey, why don't you buy a few of each this week so you

can have your own sweet potato/yam cook-off right

there in your own kitchen!

Love,