I made these mashed sweet potatoes one night when my friend Hala was over, and she has been asking for the recipe ever since. So, Hala, this is for you.
But first, let’s clear up some things about sweet potatoes and yams.
The Sweet Potato vs. The Yam
If you’re living in the US, you’re probably eating sweet potatoes, not yams. Sweet potatoes have copper skin with soft orange flesh but are sometimes labeled as yams, as The Kitchn points out.*
This is wrong. Yams are what you will usually find in Lebanese grocery stores labeled as sweet potatoes. I know!
Beirut yams are stringy, starchy, and quickly turn from white to grayish white after being cut open. When mashed, they are the sad color of badly peppered egg whites.
What’s frustrating about this is that many Lebanese grocers never properly label sweet potatoes. Sometimes they even mix them with the yams, assuming you’re cool with whatever. So when grocers do have the courtesy to cut one open for display, you still don’t really know what you’re getting.
To avoid this I like to look at the ends – which are often gnarly – to see if there’s any orange peeking out. If I still can’t tell, I try to surreptitiously scrape off some skin with my fingernails.
This doesn’t always work, however, so don’t get your hopes up. The only silver lining to this is that they’re both really really cheap.
The Microwave vs. The Oven
I generally prefer to microwave potatoes if I’m having them with dinner. I usually work until 10 p.m., so I don’t have much time for anything else. But some people, like a certain flatmate of mine, are very offended by this.
“Oh no, not you too!” he said when he caught me putting a plate of sweet potatoes in the microwave.
Yes Greg, me too. Sorry.
If you have the time to bake them instead, by all means, do. In this instance, I don’t mind the difference between microwaved and baked potatoes, but I will admit that the baked version is much better most of the time.
If you insist on baking, poke with a knife and wrap in foil. Stick them in a oven preheated to 177C/350F and leave for oh, I don’t know, thirty hours. There’s you goddamned baked potatoes.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Beirutis: shell out an extra LL500 and use French butter like Elle & Vire. It makes all the difference. Also, I don’t know why anyone uses Lurpak, it tastes like nothing.
If you don’t have all the spices on hand, use a teaspoon of seven spices instead. Just make sure to taste at the end; it might call for something else. Y’know, get creative.
And like most Lebanese produce, the sweet potatoes you find in Beirut are very sweet so you don’t need to add any sugar. If you’re making this in the US, however, a pinch or two of brown sugar will not hurt.
*There are actually multiple types of sweet potatoes but we only have the soft kind in Lebanon. So for the purposes of this recipe, the distinction is irrelevant. Click here if you’re nerd like me and want to know more about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams (it’s the same link as above).
Sweet Potatoes for Hala
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
20g or 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp butter, chopped or grated
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Wash the sweet potatoes to remove the dirt, scrubbing with the rough side of a sponge. Prick all over with a knife so the steam has a way to escape while it’s cooking (otherwise it might explode).
2. On a microwave-safe plate, nuke on high for 3 ½ minutes. (Be careful when you take them out of the microwave, the plate will be hot.) Using two forks, turn over the sweet potatoes and microwave again for 3 ½ minutes on high. Test their doneness by poking with a fork. If it’s not very soft, flip it over again and continue to cook in 2 minute intervals until both are soft.
3. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and either scoop out the insides or put the whole thing, skins and all, in a large bowl.
4. Immediately add the butter and mix to ensure it melts before the potatoes cool.
5. Once the butter is melted, go ahead and add the spices and salt.
6. Mash with a fork until relatively smooth. This should take almost no effort, since it’s already very mushy. Taste and adjust the seasoning (more salt, more cumin, etc.) until it’s to your liking.
Serves 2-4
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