What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
In America, the terms “Sweet Potato” and “Yam” are used interchangeably and refer to that potato looking thing with the red skin and orange flesh. Yet, you have probably seen something else in the grocery store labeled sweet potato with a light yellow skin, while your orange flesh variety is labeled yams. Guess what? Both of them are sweet potatoes! The kind of sweet potatoes you think of as yams are simply dark skinned sweet potatoes. You won’t commonly come across true yams in an American grocery store. True yams have brown or black skin and the flesh is either red, purple, or off-white. Crazy, huh? You thought you’ve been eating yams all these years!
What is the best way to mash sweet potatoes?
To mash sweet potatoes, you can use either a traditional potato masher, a potato ricer, or you can use a hand mixer.
Pro Tip:
Place the sweet potatoes into the pot before you fill the pot with water. This will make it so there’s no unnecessary splashing which can be dangerous if you bring your water to a boil before adding the sweet potatoes. If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious potato side dish recipes:
Sweet Potato CasseroleTwice Baked Sweet PotatoesSteakhouse Style Garlic Mashed PotatoesThe Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes. Δ Δ
