Sweet Potatoes

August 1, 2014
Can't tell a sweet potato from a yam? No worries. Chef McGreger, a daughter and sister of Mississippi sweet potato farmers, elucidates in this addition to the Savor the South series; plus, she features historical and preparation information designed to woo. Her 50 dishes are distributed into four meal-related segments concerned with breakfast, sides and salads, main dishes, and desserts, promising many surprisingly tasty results. The day's beginning, for instance, is heralded with sweet potato-ginger scones and sweet potato donut muffins as well as the expected grits and hash. Not-to-miss sides include a sweet potato pone (pudding), with the note that native Louisianans call this carb candy from the field. McGreger artfully mixes into the best of different cuisines (e.g., a tarte Tatin, a New York cheesecake) the ingredient she and nutritionists call a superfood. Make ours the sweet potato yum-yum, please.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)