createJacket sweet potato
I am willing to bet there won’t be a simpler recipe than this published anywhere. I am submitting it because, following a recent straw poll, too many people didn’t think they could cook a sweet potato this way.
For those of you (probably most of you) who do know that a sweet potato can be cooked in its jacket just as a regular spud, apologies if you have made it this far.
Ready
- 1 sweet potato per person
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Set
- Baking tray
Go
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the sweet potato on a baking tray.
- Remove from the oven when you can pass a skewer through the potato with ease (usually about 45 minutes).
- Cut the skin and insert a knob of butter and add a little seasoning.
I have noticed in the US that supermarkets often refer to sweet potatoes as yams. I think real yams are only available at specialist stores. (Perhaps a yam specialist is out there who can advise!) I like this recipe best with the rust-coloured sweet potato with the orange flesh. It is deliciously sweet when baked.
Sweet potato vs. Yam:
I checked Wikipedia and found lots of information. Interestingly, the ‘sweet potato’ is related to the morning glory! Also, this staple of life is grown in almost every part of the world and comes in a great variety of colors. Good stuff!
Most interesting is how the term ‘yam’ came to be used:
The moist-fleshed, orange cultivars of sweet potato are often referred to as “yams” in the United States. One explanation of this confusion is that Africans brought to America took to calling American sweet potatoes Nyamis, perhaps from the Fulani word nyami (to eat) or the Twi word anyinam, which refers to a true yam. The true yam, which is native to Africa and Asia, can grow up to 2 m (6 ft) in length (sometimes with knuckle-like ends) and has a scaly skin, a pinkish white center, and a thick, almost oily feel to the tongue.
Later on many farmers and stores began marketing American-grown sweet potatoes as yams; the name stuck. In more recent times there has been an effort to stop the use of “yam” for sweet potatoes, but this has only been partially successful. USDA branding regulations require the word “yam” to be accompanied by the words “sweet potato” when referring to these moister sweet potatoes.
Perfect. Thanks.
I tried this with a japanese sweet potato that I recently found in the market. Yum!
Wondering if this recipe calls for a true sweet potatoe, or is it for a yam? Or both? There are big differences between the two in color, texture and flavor, and in cooking times. Thanks!