THE sweetpotato industry is upping its promotion of the product as a versatile vegetable in a series of newly released recipes.
Australian Sweetpotatoes has targeted the foodie market with a considerable list of food creations including sweetpotato hummus, hasselback sweetpotatoes, sweetpotato gnocchi and sweetpotato and pecan pie, to name a few.
The organisation recently sent out a series of sweetpotato facts to media outlets in order to spur interest in the vegetable.
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“Sweetpotato is often used in winter dishes, however sweetpotato season runs all year making it a delicious, healthy vegetable any time of year,” one of the factsheets says.
There are four types of sweetpotato: gold, red, purple and white.
More than 90 per cent of sweetpotatoes grown in Australia are the gold variety, sometimes called Beauregard, with rose/gold smooth skin and bright orange flesh.
Despite their name, sweetpotatoes don’t belong to the potato family; they are part of the root vegetable family.
Australia has about 85 commercial sweet potato producers, collectively producing almost 90,000 tonnes of sweetpotatoes per year.
Sweetpotatoes are very high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and are a source of the B vitamin niacin which is needed for energy release and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
The promotional push encourages consumers to do different things when preparing sweetpotatoes, including making them into a dip, turning them into spiraliser to make sweetpotato noodles and even cooking slices of sweetpotato in a regular toaster.
Ingredients.
- 400g sweetpotato, peeled, cut into 1cm chips
- 2tsp corn flour
- Pinch mild paprika
- Spray oil
- Natural yoghurt to serve
Directions
- Soak chips in water for one hour to remove starch. Drain and pot-dry on paper towel.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Line two trays with baking paper.
- Place chips in zip-lock bag with corn flour and paprika. Shake well until evenly coated.
- Place chips on a single layer on trays.
- Spray with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once. Season to taste. Serve with yoghurt.