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November 5, 2010 | Comments: 2

Dueling Potatoes: Yams Versus Sweet Potatoes

With Thanksgiving coming up, you may wonder what the difference is between a sweet potato and a yam. Is one more nutritious? Here are some answers--and a holiday recipe.  

What are commonly called yams are actually sweet potatoes, which are not really potatoes at all, but storage roots, like carrots. (Real potatoes are storage stems, or tubers.) True yams belong to another plant family. You will seldom see a true yam in this country, except in specialty markets. Called njam and grown in Africa and the Caribbean, a yam is pale and starchy, with rough and scaly skin.

Sweet potatoes have darker reddish-brown skin and dark orange flesh. There are, however, at least four varieties, some with lighter skins, some with red-purple skins, and also variations in flesh color. (Canned sweet potatoes are often also labeled “yams,” since that’s what most people call them.) 

Nutritionally, you’re way ahead with sweet potatoes. Their bright orange color comes from beta carotene, and a medium-size baked sweet potato contains about 10 milligrams (a hefty amount), plus about 
one-third of the daily recommended intake for vitamin C, some B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium—even more if you eat the skin. The true yam has no beta carotene and half the vitamin C.

In spite of their sweet flavor, sweet potatoes have the same number of calories as white potatoes, about 100 per 3.5-ounce serving. They can be quickly cooked in their skins in a microwave (pierce them first). They taste great on their own--though they often, unfortunately, get “candied”—laden with sugar, syrup, and marshmallows.

Here's a sweet potato recipe with no marshmallows on top--just apples, apple juice, and a crisp, slightly sweetened oat topping:

Baked Apples & Sweet Potatoes with Crunchy Topping

3 teaspoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, slivered

3/4 cup apple juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 apples, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

4 teaspoons light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the apple juice and lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Arrange the sweet potatoes and apples in a 7 x 11-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour the apple juice mixture on top.

3. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, and the remaining 2 teaspoons oil.

5. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the sweet potatoes, return to the oven, and bake until the topping is lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition information, per serving: calories 215, total fat 3g (0.5g saturated), cholesterol 0mg, dietary fiber 4g, carbohydrate 46g, protein 3g, sodium 212mg. Good source of: beta carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin C.

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