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Sweet Potatoes

12 Comments

Something is stuck UNDER my crappy camera lens.  I took the whole camera apart thinking I could somehow get access in between the lenses, but all I got was shocked!  And the lens never came off.   Anyone have ideas on how to fix this?

Every picture I take has a “soft focus” edge on the bottom of the picture. I don’t know what to do. I’d get a new camera for Christmas, but I already got this laptop for Christmas.  So, I’m out of luck until next year!

Anyway, I’m in some sort of root vegetable craze.  Not only do I love Russet Potatoes, and red potatoes, but I really love Sweet potatoes!  For any meal, they are so filling.  My kids really don’t need to eat anything else.  So here is a little potato 101.

sweet potatoes

Our grocery store sells two varieties of sweet potatoes.  Although BOTH are technically sweet potatoes, they call one a sweet potato, and the other a yam.

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SWEET  POTATOES:  (with white flesh)

  • Just like a baked potato (butter, salt etc.)
  • As Sweet Potato salad.

YAMS: With the orange flesh

  • Sweet potato fries
  • In a casserole with brown sugar.
  • As a baked potato with sweet stuff on it like cinnamon and brown sugar.

Is one healthier than the other?  YES! Yams, with its rich orange color has more vitamins.  The more colorful your fruits or vegetables are, the more nutrients they have.

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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12 Comments

I love yams!!!!!! we eat them like baked potatoes all the time. I don’t think they even need butter. love them!

My kids like yams as “french fries.” They call them “carrot fries” ’cause they look like carrots. You slice them like french fries, toss them with a bit of oil, and bake them until they’re as crispy as you like. We add a touch of salt for flavor. YUM!!!

They also like them as baked potatoes with butter and salt. YUM!

I’m totally going out to buy some today! 🙂

Interesting. In the South where I’m originally from, both would be called sweet potatoes. Actually, I can’t remember ever seeing a white flesh sweet potato growing up. Everything sold was what you would call a yam (but we still called sweet potato)! My parents live near a sweet potato processing plant in Mississippi, so I get 40 lb boxes of sweet potatoes a couple of times a year. They’re a staple in my house. Pancakes, cookies, fries, pot pies, and pureed (and added to anything that will take it) – sweet potatoes are a staple here!

Megan, have you had them at Ruby River with butter and cinnamon?
Cathy: Wow, you really do know your sweet potatoes. You really should try the white flesh ones. I LOVE them! I’d love for you to post your recipe for pot pies and cookies!
Angee: That’s how we like them too.

Here in Hawaii we have Okinawan sweet potatoes that look like the white flesh ones but they are purple inside! Do you think that means they are more nutritious? They aren’t as sweet as yams (in my opinion) but taste great with coconut milk 😛

Actually, both of the vegetables in your picture are sweet potatoes. If you want to read an article on how the two differ, I suggest this one: http://youknowthatblog.com/2009/06/14/yams-are-not-sweet-potatoes/
Or this video: http://video.about.com/homecooking/What-Is-the-Difference-Between-Yams-and-Sweet-Potatoes-.htm

Sweet potatoes, like regular potatoes come in different colors, that include both the skin and flesh. The flavors may differ a little bit, and there may be minor nutrition differences due to the pigments, but that’s it. Anything you can do with one of the above pictures ‘yams’ you can do with a sweet potato, and vice versa.

Just thought you should know!

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Tasha,
I agree with you, though the link is dead(403).

I’m not an expert about these things but that’s what I Thought, too. also yam’s skin is kind of like a bark.