Amazing food can be made with the humble sweet potato. Even though it truly is a vegetable (in fact, the state vegetable of North Carolina) most people like their tubers super sweet and sticky, covered with brown sugar, marshmallow, and pecans.
Sweet potatoes have been cultivated in South and Central America for 8000 years, and just about every culture in the world uses sweet potatoes as a major source of nutrition. They are highly nutritious and off the charts rich in beta carotene and vitamin A, which your eyes depend on. Besides being good for you, they are also related to the morning glory, one of my favorite little flowering vines.
I didn’t always like eating sweet potatoes, though, mostly because they were too sweet when they were prepared in traditional ways involving lots of sugar. It wasn’t until my friend Mark turned me on to eating them in savory dishes that I was hooked. Mark always had sweet potatoes around because he helped run a program that taught kids in public schools how to grow their own food, so they’d harvest hundreds of pounds of the things a day and they were everywhere: in his bag, in the trunk of his car, even in his glove compartment.
Mark came to a potluck with a spiced soup he made with a purée of potatoes, with little bowls of crushed peanuts, scallions, lime wedges, and radishes that were to be served over the top. It was the first time I had ever been able to taste the humble sweet potato for what it was: a delightful, not too sweet savory vegetable with subtlety and versatility.
One spoonful and I was hooked. I’d never go back to sticky sweet potatoes. You’ll enjoy this nice flatbread with a lot of the same flavors as Mark’s soup, and lots of cold zesty ingredients to add once you take the flatbread out of the oven. It’s even good for breakfast, morning glory!
Amy at Flatout
