There are many varieties of sweet potato and they range from yellow, to orange, to reddish orange-coloured skin and flesh. So chances are the ones labelled in the grocery store as yams are really sweet potatoes. American sweet potato and the African yam come from completely different plants. So when people talk about the interchange-ability of sweet potatoes and yams they are really talking about the same vegetable. I bought a light yellow flashed “yam” the other day and I made it into a sweet potato casserole. Here is another misnomer; sweet potato casserole is a vegetable side dish and not really a casserole.People put loads of brown sugar and butter into their sweet potato casseroles. I get that it’s a sweet dish, because sweet potato is sweet. On its own, sweet potato has a wonderful nutty flavour and the brown sugar totally obliterates it. So… with great reluctance, I added 2 Tbsp of golden sugar, [not brown] but I think it would have been also good without it.
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
1 large yellow fleshed sweet potato [2 cups mashed]2 Tbsp golden sugar
1/8 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
TOPPING
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/8 cup large flake oatmeal
1/8 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped almonds
• Turn the oven to 350F.
• Peel and chop a large sweet potato.
• In a double boiler with the holes or in a steam basket, steam the sweet potatoes until tender, but not mushy.
• Place the sweet potatoes, golden sugar, milk and melted butter in a food processor and pulse until fully mashed.
• Lightly whisk an egg, and pour in the food processor and pulse to combine.
• Butter a small casserole dish and pour in the sweet potato mixture.
• Combine topping ingredients and scatter on the top.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, until hot and lightly browned.
• This makes four good-sized servings.
