I know you must think I’m obsessed with “sweet potatoes” since I’ve made 2 posts in a row on this tasty root, but I can’t help it.  Sweet potatoes “had me at hello” (a reference to “Jerry Maguire” in case you’re wondering).  I’ve been eating them since I was about 6 months old, and I guess I’ll be eating them until I’m dead and gone.  Here are a few tasty tidbits on the sweet potato.

• The part of the sweet potato that is eaten is the tuberous root (as opposed to the tuber of the white potato).
• Sweet potatoes are sometimes mistakenly called yams, but true yams are a tropical plant of a different species.
• Sweet potatoes are native to Central America and are one of the oldest vegetables known to man.
• Christopher Columbus brought sweet potatoes to Europe after his first voyage to the New World in 1492.
• Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes may be one of nature’s unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene, which is a very important anti-oxidant.
• Sweet potatoes are not always orange-fleshed on the inside but can also be a spectacular purple color.
• According to Wikipedia, sweet potatoes can cause “gas”, “flatulence”, or just plain old “farts”.  I guess that’s why they’ve been called the “magical toot root”.  And if Wikipedia says it, you know it must be true!  (sorry, but my sense of humor is sometimes juvenile…ok “sometimes” might be stretching it because my friends know that it’s ALL of the time.  Ha ha ha!)

So now that I’ve told you more about sweet potatoes than you’ve ever wanted to know, you should consider using this sweet and tasty vegetable for more than just Thanksgiving meals.  And since we just past the Thanksgiving holiday, let me share my favorite sweet potato casserole recipe.  This wonderful recipe is compliments of our good friend, Teri Byrd, of Elkin, NC.  Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

• 3 CUPS MASHED SWEET POTATOES (ABOUT 3 LARGE POTATOES)
• 1 CUP SUGAR
• 2 EGGS – BEATEN
• 1/2 TSP. SALT
• 1 STICK MARGARINE
• 1/2 CUP MILK
• 1 TSP. VANILLA
• 1 TSP. CINNAMON
• DASH CLOVES
• DASH NUTMEG

When potatoes are well done, drain & whip.  Add margarine, beaten eggs, milk, sugar, salt and spices.  Pour into greased casserole and spread with the following topping.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE TOPPING

• 1 CUP LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
• 1/3 CUP MARGARINE
• 1/3 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 CUP CHOPPED PECANS

Melt margarine and mix in other ingredients.  Spread on top of potatoes and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.  Crumble the mixture on the sweet potatoes by hand.