Are they sweet potatoes or yams?

#Middlebury

Sweet potatoes mirror the colors of autumn leaves. The beautiful bright-orange to orange-red hues of the skin are lovely to look at, and the interior flesh of the sweet potato, ranging from white to orange to purple, is even better to eat! Sweet potatoes can be incorporated into every meal, from sweet potato biscuits for breakfast, a side of sweet potato fries at lunch, or a roasted sweet potato for dinner with a smooth sweet potato custard for dessert.

Some people refer to sweet potatoes as “yams,” but this is a misnomer as a yam is an entirely different vegetable. A yam is a tuber cultivated in Africa that can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds.

Colorful sweet potatoes (Depositphotos photo)

When the African captives came to America, they were used to eating yams as a major staple of their diet. When they didn’t find any yams here, they used sweet potatoes as a substitute. Some Africans called sweet potatoes “nyamis,” the Fulani word for yam, and that is how American sweet potatoes became known in many areas as yams.

As the sweet potato became more popular in America, growers started labeling them “yams,” which we now know is incorrect. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now requires the word “yam” to be followed by the words “sweet potato” when labeling a sweet potato product.

Some specialty markets carry yams imported from Asia or Africa. China is the world’s largest producer of sweet potatoes, along with India and the United States. Sweet potatoes can be stored unrefrigerated for up to three months.

Sweet potatoes are high in dietary fiber, vitamins A, C and B-6, and serve as a great lower-carb alternative to regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain a wealth of orange-hued carotenoid pigments. In countries throughout Africa and in India and the Caribbean, sweet potatoes have been shown to be a highly effective way of providing school-age children with sizable amounts of their daily vitamin A.

In some studies, sweet potatoes were found to be a better source of bioavailable beta-carotene than green leafy vegetables. Because sweet potatoes are available in many countries on a nearly year-round basis, their ability to provide us with a key antioxidant like beta-carotene makes them a standout antioxidant food.

This slow-cooker recipe for Chicken Stew deliciously combines sweet potatoes, chicken and wild rice in a flavorful, creamy sauce to create the perfect make-ahead side dish for a busy weekday or any day!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew With Sweet Potatoes

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 5 garlic cloves)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups (3 medium) sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 green onions, roots removed and discarded, white and green parts chopped

1. Season the chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high. Add chicken and cook until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook 2 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add celery, onion and garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper to the skillet, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Add sweet potatoes, rice and the lemon pepper. Cover and cook on low until rice, chicken and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours. Stir in half-and-half. Turn heat to high and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Place stew in individual serving bowls and sprinkle with the parsley and green onions, if desired. Serves 6.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

© 2018 King Features Synd. Inc. and Angela Shelf Medearis