Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a yam and a sweet potato? I have always wondered about it but could never find the answer.

I finally researched it and I trust that I will put that question to rest.

Sweet potatoes and true yams are very different and distinct kinds of vegetables.

A yam is native to Africa. It can be very small or ridiculously large in size. Yams usually have a cylindrical shape  and have blackish, brown bark-like skin. They are purple or reddish on the inside.

Yams are much starchier and drier than sweet potatoes. True yams are hard to find as they are not sold in many grocery stores. They can often be found in international and specialty markets.

Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, come in many varieties. Their skin color can range from white to red, purple or brown. Their flesh can be  white, yellow, or orange. They have an elongated shape with tapered ends.

There are two different types of sweet potatoes in the United States:

1. Firm sweet potatoes, which have golden skin and paler flesh.
2. Soft sweet potatoes, which have copper skin and orange flesh.

So why is your grocery store calling a sweet potato a yam?

The grocery store wants to differentiate between the soft and the firm sweet potato.

The ‘”soft” sweet potatoes slightly resemble the yams, so they adopted the name and that is what you see labeled as “yams” in your market.

So the “yam” you are buying is just a soft sweet potato.

So now you know.

Onto my recipe for today!

Pretty much any sweet potato recipe catches my eye. I just love them!

This recipe intrigued me because of the fresh orange juice and orange zest mixed with the sweet potatoes. The combination of ingredients seemed like they would be perfect together.

And, they certainly were.

The result was a savory, aromatic and flavorful experience with every forkful!

I hope this post solves the challenging question of  the difference between a yam and a sweet potato.

It also gives you a delightful, new sweet potato recipe to try!

Enjoy!

Today’s hint; Buy the whole nutmegs in your grocery store. When you need nutmeg for a recipe, take one out and use a “zester” to grate them. This will ensure you have fresh ground nutmeg every time!

Ingredients for the Mashed Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each) peeled and cut into  large dices
1/4 cup of buttermilk, warmed slightly
1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, optional

Steam the potatoes in a large covered pan fitted with a steamer basket until they are tender about 8-12 minutes.

In a large bowl mash the potatoes with the buttermilk and orange juice.

Stir in the zest, salt and nutmeg.

Serve the potatoes topped with butter, if desired.

It’s that simple!

This dish, courtesy of myrecipes.com is a hit! The fresh green beans with soy sauce, brown sugar and crushed red pepper is delight for your taste buds!

I can’t say enough about this recipe. It takes only minutes to prepare this flavorful, healthy side dish.

The green beans are tossed with a sweet and spicy mix ( although not too spicy) that would be a great accompaniment to any meal. 

Just be careful not to overcook the green beans. They need to be a beautiful bright green color and nice and crunchy! I also doubled the sauce to make sure every last bit of those lovely green beans were coated.

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Ingredients for Caramelized Spicy Green Beans

1 pound fresh haricots verts (french green beans)
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 medium-size sweet onion, sliced into thin strips
1 tsp. peanut oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp. set aside.

Place a pot of water one high-heat. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. kosher salt and green beans.

Set aside a bowl with ice water.

Cook haricots verts for 1 minute.

Drain the haricots vests and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce and crushed red pepper. 

In a medium to large sauce pan over medium heat, heat the peanut oil. 

Sauté the red pepper and onions for 3-4 minutes. 

Add the green beans and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. kosher salt.

Remove from heat, add soy sauce mixture to haricots verts and stir to coat.

It’s that simple!