The Sweetest Potatoes

For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes.

It turned out that I just don’t like them with added sugar: maple syrup, marshmallows, brown sugar…. Is anybody else like that? Sweet potatoes are sweet enough for me, without all that stuff. In fact, I like them most when there’s a little sourness, a little savory flavor to cut the sugar.

Now I know I love sweet potatoes. A good thing, too – they are packed with valuable nutrients, like soluble fiber and beta-carotene. Despite their sweet flavor, sweet potatoes also stabilize the blood sugar, lowering insulin resistance. Most of us could probably benefit from replacing some of the other starches in our diets with this colorful veggie.

To that end, I was going to present you with a recipe for roasted sweet potato salad tossed in a lovely, light yogurt dressing. But then, something happened. What happened was, I left the sweet potatoes in the oven for a long time. A really long time. And forgot about them. And when I took them out, they were far too soft to chop and use in a salad. So I improvised these mashed sweet potatoes, using some of the same ingredients.

They turned out beautifully. The texture is light, the flavor is both sweet and tangy, and the chives provide their signature mild allium counterpoint. The recipe is low in fat and extremely nutritious, and provides a nice foil for the grilled foods of summer.

Yogurt and Chive Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as Garnet or Jewel
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
A handful of chives, chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place in the oven. Roast the sweet potatoes until very soft. The time will depend on the size of your sweet potatoes.

2. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and cut them in half. Scrape out the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher.

3. Stir in yogurt, lemon juice, chives, salt, and pepper until well-mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.