Sweet Potato Casserole: without marshmallows

Sweet potato casseroles are often way too sweet for many palates, especially when they are served around the holidays with an abundance of other rich dishes. This casserole, or side dish, gets all of it’s sweetness from the sweet potato itself and enhances the flavor by roasting it with ginger and fresh lime juice. It is a traditional favorite at our house!

Jump to: Recipe | Yams vs Sweet Potatoes | Are they Low Carb? | What to Serve With Sweet Potatoes | Best Temperature to Cook? | Differences in Soy Sauces | Common Questions |

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Yams vs orange sweet potatoes vs white sweet potatoes

First of all, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. It is not uncommon for grocery stores to label sweet potatoes as yams, but true yams are rarely found in American grocery stores. Even the canned “yams” available in US stores around the holidays are actually sweet potatoes.

Yams have dark brown skin and the texture and flavor of their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have reddish skin, orange flesh and their flavor is much sweeter.

The reason sweet potatoes are labeled as yams in US stores is that in the 1900’s the Southern US potato growers want a way to distinguish them from their regular potatoes. Since this label worked for differentiating the two potatoes, it stuck around to this day.

Yams are not really potatoes, but rather a stem tuber that belongs to a different botanical family. They have pale white flesh and can become very, very large. Unlike a sweet potato they have an earthy, neutral taste.

The copper-colored potato with orange flesh is probably what comes to mind when you think of the sweet potato, but there are many other varieties. Some of these types are even labeled as yams, but they aren’t true yams. You’ll find three major types of sweet potatoes at North American grocery stores:

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes, but the most common ones in the grocery stores are Jewel or Garnet. I always go for the dark red ones and they never disappoint with their natural sweetness.

If you prefer a similar type of dish to a sweet potato casserole, but with pumpkin or squash instead, this Mexican celebration dish of candied pumpkin is an alternative side dish for the holiday table.

What to serve with sweet potatoes?

Although many people tend to add more sweetness to sweet potato side dishes, I think they are plenty sweet on their own and benefit by pairing with savory dishes or spices. Here are a few of my sweet and savory pairings for sweet potatoes:

• chile spice blends
• feta butter
• apples
• cinnamon
• maple syrup
• steak fajita fillings
• chorizo
• black beans
• chicken
• pork (chops, ribs, etc.)

Can you have sweet potatoes on a low carb diet?

While sweet potatoes have a lot of health benefits, they are not low carb. If you are on a low carb diet and want to include sweet potatoes, you would need to make sure the rest of your meals that day are essentially carb-free. Low carb does not mean no-carb (unless you are doing strict keto).

Although sweet potatoes have fairly high carbs and sugar content they are also rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They’re also incredibly rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system. Here is a nutritional rundown:

One cup (200 grams) of baked sweet potato with skin provides:

• Calories: 180
• Carbs: 41.4 grams
• Protein: 4 grams
• Fat: 0.3 grams
• Fiber: 6.6 grams
• Vitamin A: 769% of the
  Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin C: 65% of the DV
• Manganese: 50% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 29% of the DV
• Potassium: 27% of the DV
• Pantothenic acid: 18% of the DV
• Copper: 16% of the DV
• Niacin: 15% of the DV

What temperature to cook sweet potatoes at?

I love roasted caramelized vegetables and roasting sweet potatoes at a high temperature really brings out the flavor. The recipe below roasts the sweet potatoes for 50 minutes at 425 degrees F.

Differences in Soy Sauces

I am no expert in this, but I am learning that there is quite a bit of differences in soy sauces. Soy sauce is basically a seasoning that adds umami and saltiness to a dish. Here are a few tips on flavor that have some consensus among chefs:

• Japanese soy sauce is sweeter. Referred to as black soy sauce, they are thicker and sweeter. A recommended brand from Annie at Seattle’s Kitchen s ABC brand
• Tamari is a gluten free soy sauce that is more refined and has a saltier taste as the soy doesn’t mask the salt
• Niki Nakayama, owner of Michelin-starred restaurant n/naka notes that the type of soy sauce she uses depends on the dish, but in general, at n/naka, they reach for “Yamasa for our regular soy sauce and seasoning when we cook things,” and “Higashimaru’s Usukuchi soy sauce for light colored soy for soups.” Yamasa is the soy sauce I am currently using for most of my dishes.
• You can get very expensive soy sauces (up to $75 per bottle), but those are generally reserved for specialty dishes like sushi.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe for Ginger Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes