b/c I don't know how to cook it. I believe I roasted some whole in the oven once but wasnt impressed with the outcome. I keep reading how they are healthier and better for weight loss than regular spuds so I want to try again.

Could any one tell me simple ways to cook sweet potatoes? Ideas for recipes would be good too - preferably nut-free recipes b/c of allergies.

TIA

I like to slice sweet potato, steam it (Yes, that's right! Steam it!) along with some kale and then serve it tossed with a umeboshi-soy-ginger sauce.

i make baked sweet potato fries. Just slice them like you would french fries, then spray them with pam or something, sprinkle grill seasoning and bake until they are done/tender. YUM with burgers or cookout food.

I also microwave them, peel them, then smash them. Add a little light butter, ff sour cream, cinnimon, a touch of brown sugar and you have a great side dish. (sometimes i omit the brown sugar and add crushed pineapple, it is suprisingly good that way too).

Oooh, crushed pineapple, I bet that's good! I like to make sweet potato fries as well, great with cayenne sprinkled on for some kick. I like them in soups too, either in chunks or pureed for "creamy" soup.

Yum! I've got 5 on my counter right now and I had one for dinner tonight. Today I had a microwaved sweet potato -- 7 minutes in the microwave, then slice it open and eat with a spoon! I had it on the side with a teriyaki shrimp and veggie stir-fry. They're great on their own without any toppings.

I also sometimes make sweet potato fries in the oven. I found the recipe on this site. Sliced sweet potatoes with a little PAM or olive oil plus sprinkles of salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. They are the best -- taste just like the sweet potato fries at a restaurant near my last apartment -- just healthier!

I just nuke mine too, like a regular potato. Stick it with a fork first. Then I cut it in half, scoop out the insides and add a little lime juice to it. Yum!

I cut them up into chunks, spray with a little cooking spray and drizzle on a little olive oil. I then add garlic and onion powders, paprika, and salt. I bake it covered til almost tender, then uncover it till they are completely done.

I also do the french fry thing already mentioned. They are also great just baked in the oven. I wash them, poke a few holes in it with a fork, wrap them individually in aluminum foil and put in the oven at 400 degrees til tender. I also add them to some soups that I make, like chicken soup.

Hi everyone

thanks for the ideas. I tried the fries last night and really enjoyed them. I don;t think anyone else was impressed though...

But I noticed they seem to develop black spots when you peel them. Is that notmal? and is there anything that one can do about it?

I leave the skin on when I make my fries. That's the best part!!! Lots of nutrition and fiber. Plus the skin gets nice and crunchy.

You can leave the skin on?? well bless my cotton socks!

I never thought of that b/c it always looks so gnarly and woody to me.

But I shall have to try it. I'm always up for more fibre and nutrients.

I knew I would learn things from this site...

I like to chop some up with yellow onion, sprinkle with garlic salt, drizzle with olive oil, and stick it in the oven.

I made sweet potato fries for the first time today...just cut them up pretty thin and drizzled olive oil on top and baked them up nice and crispy! Mmmm...if you dip them in a little ketchup you can't even tell the difference between them and regular fries. But they are SO de-lish!

I like sweet potato fries, too. But my one of my favorite side dishes (especially along something like asian-glazed salmon) - slice up a sweet potato into wedges. Spray a baking dish with Pam, add in the sweet potato wedges, toss, and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and chili powder. Roast until potatoes are tender and the outsides have browned/crisped. Then serve with a squeeze of lime juice over the top. The lime really brings out the chili powder...mmmm.

I have a pretty easy but yummy sweet potatoe recipe, may not be the most healthy though lol. It's a casserole style, and can be healthy depending on how you prepare it.

Mash up a couple (or more depending on how many you are feeding) of large sweet potatoes in a casserole dish with 1-2T's of cinnamon. Then coat the top of it with a crushed nut of your choice (pecans are what we use). Then sprinkle a little brown sugar over the nuts, and either a) lightly coat the top of the casserole with some type of cooking spray/oil or b) do what my grandma does and cut chunks of butter over the top to melt while it's baking

Bake it at about 350 for 20-30 minutes (just long enough for the taters to get hot). Make sure the top doesn't burn.

I guess if you really wanted to, you could cook the sweet potatoes before you mashed them up and then just pop it in the oven until the top gets crunchy....Just whatever is easiest for you.

Here is a great way to fix the lighter ones... not sure if you are referring to those or (as is the case in some areas of the country) the darker ones which here we call yams... but for the light ones peel and chop them and get them started on the stove by boiling just a bit. Then put into a pie tin, spread them out and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with fresh salsa & chopped onion... or pico de gallo... and bake. YUM

They are also good boiled and mashed and used as topping on a shepherd's pie... in which you can use ground turkey instead of beef. This is also super.