Healthy Pureed Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes all it takes to bring out the best flavor in a fruit or vegetable is just to cook it.  Seriously!  What does slow roasting a tomato do?  What does caramelizing an onion do?    These two methods of cooking bring about flavors that are completely different from tomatoes and onions in their raw state.  You may not even need salt and pepper.  Cooking often does the job on it’s own. 

Well, the same goes for sweet potatoes.  Not only are they sweet on their own (which makes them super yummy – especially when cooking them for a long time) but they are also really good for you.  They contain fiber, multiple vitamins including A, C, and E, and also antioxidants.  I normally roast my sweet potatoes at a high heat for about 45 minutes.  By this time, they get bright orange, and you know they’re done because the sweet sugars start to ooze out of the skin and the skin begins to shrivel. 

We often see sweet potatoes fried in oil or mixed with tons of butter and sugar to make pies and other great desserts.  However, sweet potatoes are quite sweet on their own and very satisfying.  I like to roast my sweet potatoes and then puree or mash them.  All I add is a tiny bit of salt to bring out the sweetness even more and they make for a great healthy side dish.

Healthy Pureed Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes

1 tsp kosher salt

Yes, that’s IT!

Preheat oven to 425F.  While oven is preheating, rinse the outside of the potatoes to remove all dirt and thoroughly dry.  Poke a few holes through the flesh with a fork to allow the steam to escape during the cooking process.

Once oven is preheated, place potatoes directly on the rack in the middle of the oven. Place a sheet of foil or a baking sheet on the rack just below the potatoes.  This will catch all of the gooey sugars that escape as the potatoes cook.  Cook for about 40-45 mins or until soft and the skin begins to shrivel.

Remove from oven.  Allow potatoes to cool for about 5 mins and then remove the skin.  Place cooked potatoes and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until fully pureed.   You may need to break up the potatoes a bit if the food processor is working too hard.

Alternative: Place cooked potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Use the whisk attachment to puree potatoes.

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