Roasted vs. steamed sweet potatoes ?

[Dina]

I'm going to experiment a bit with my sweet potatoes and I'd like to know which method of cooking them holds the best flavor. Will the roasting dry them too much? I'm making candied sweet potatoes and I'd like them to be tender, not so dry and most importantly, FLAVORFUL. Suggestions?

 

[foodaholic]

I find roasting most veg gives the best flavour,especially root veg.I would cut
the sweet potato length wise,brush with olive oil and roast cut side down on
a sheet pan.If the sizes are too varied then cut into similar size pieces,coat in olive oil and then proceed.Do not cover,otherwise your steaming not roasting.

 

[Dina]

What temperature and for how long?

 

[jennyema]

You plan to cook them and then "candy" them?

If so, I'd boil or steam, as roasting makes for a dryer end product which may not work so well with whatever elese you are adding. Also, the olive oil taste may be inappropriate.

Uncandied, I'd always suggest roasting for the reasons foodaholic says.

 

[Dina]

Yes. I'm adding molasses, sugar, orange and lemon peel and spices. I will go with the steaming version then. Thanks.

 

[jennyema]

I was thinking ....... If you are really up for experimentation ....

Try a very small batch of them Foodalholic's way before thanksgiving, cut into uniform pieces, coated with a bit of oil and roasted in a small baking dish at 450 for 10 min. Then pull them, add the molasses, etc. Toss to coat and put them in for another 10 min. and see what happens.

I make roasted butternut squash with dijon mustard, maple syrup and soy sauce like that.

 

[foodaholic]

Funny isn't it,I purposly roast when I want candied yams (sweet potato) or squash that kind of thing.But again that's what makes cooking so wonderful.

 

[mish]

Usually, I prefer just about anything roasted. If I were making a casserole - rather than steam the sweets, I would nuke 'em and mash 'em. If you would like to experiment with another flavor (for another dish), try some chili sweet potato fries... they are delish.

Sprinkle these with some chili powder

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

4 sweet potatoes (yams)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch thick lengthwise strips and toss with olive oil. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and arrange potatoes on baking sheets. Bake potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Turn potatoes over and bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown all over. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Serve with a turkey boiga topped with melted Mozzarella.