While sweet potatoes are not as ubiquitous as pumpkin, this time of year (I have yet to see sweet potato coffee creamer and sweet potato oatmeal), the sweet potato deserves some spotlight, too.
After all, you can do so much with them, not to mention their health benefits make them a superfood.
They have high levels of Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), Vitamin C, several B vitamins, manganese, potassium (good for regulating blood pressure), while being low in fat and calories.
They have anti-inflammatory elements, are good for digestion thanks to their high fiber content, and have a moderate glycemic index for managing blood sugar levels.
As for their versatility, they can be enjoyed in a variety of ways for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, side dishes and dessert: sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato soup, sweet potato and black bean tacos, sweet potato fries, sweet potato pie, and so on.
Of course, the Thanksgiving meal is not complete unless there is sweet potato casserole on the table.
But how did this naturally sweet root vegetable get paired with a sweet, processed treat?
Marshmallows go hand-in-hand with desserts and campfires, not so much vegetables.
But if you can’t picture a sweet potato casserole without marshmallows, you can thank marketing from over 100 years ago for that.
Sweet potato pudding was in America’s first cookbook, “American Cookery,” published in 1796.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, with more cookbooks coming out, there were other recipes for candied or glazed sweet potatoes that called for coating boiled sweet potatoes with sugar syrup, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Marshmallows weren’t around yet.
In 1907, the company Angelus Marshmallows (known as Campfire later on), who also made Cracker Jacks, began mass-producing marshmallows, but households didn’t see it as a common food item.
So the company reached out to the founder of the Boston Cooking School Magazine, Janet McKenzie Hill, to develop recipes with marshmallows in them.
It was in this cookbook, published in 1917, that the first sweet potato with marshmallow topping first appeared (as well as marshmallows in hot chocolate).
It gained popularity, and became a staple on Thanksgiving by the mid-20th century.
And so, thanks to a company trying to increase their sales, we have this standard Thanksgiving dish.
While the marshmallows don’t offer much in nutritional benefits, the sweet potato casserole isn’t the most calorie-damaging dish you’ll have on the holiday (the buttered rolls, stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy have more calories per serving than the sweet potato casserole).
With the average person eating 3,000 calories on Thanksgiving just for the dinner (not including drinks, dessert, or appetizers), it’s usually not a day for calorie counting, but to indulge.
Making a healthier version of this dish isn’t going to make a significant difference in total calories consumed on the holiday, but if you prefer marshmallows with dessert instead of the main course, try out this version from Nebraska Extension.
Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed with a clean vegetable brush under running water, peeled, and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 baking apple (Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady are good for baking), gently rubbed under cold running water, sliced
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries or raisins
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or spray a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, mix together the orange juice, brown sugar, butter or margarine, cinnamon, and dried cranberries or raisins. Heat and continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved and the butter or margarine is melted.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, apples and orange juice mixture. Transfer to a casserole dish.
- Bake covered for one hour or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir the mixture before serving to coat the sweet potatoes and apples with the juices accumulated at the bottom of the dish before serving.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County, An Equal Opportunity Institution.
