Sweet potatoes are often treated like their savory (white) cousins and get mashed, roasted, turned into noodles, shaped into pancakes, or baked … Related: Here's How Long Potatoes Last If You Store Them Correctly. Place potatoes and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Sweet potatoes fill out quickly and can take over small spaces. What that means regarding eating ornamental sweet potatoes is that, yes, while you can eat ornamental sweet potatoes, they are not necessarily the tastiest of sweet potatoes and are, in fact, much more bitter. Depending on your oven and the size of your potato, this takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Plants also complement various garden styles. Also, you may want to think again about eating ornamental sweet potatoes if they have been sprayed with pesticides not suitable for use on vegetables. Growth Habits. But wait, what about the ornamental sweet potato tubers? Step 1: Make mashed sweet potatoes. Use a knife to make about 8 crosswise … Plant the sweet potato in a container of potting soil when each vine has as least four to six leaves. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Often grown in container gardens for its trailing stems of purple, chartreuse, or variegated foliage, ornamental sweet potato vine is actually related to the sweet potatoes you'd grow in your vegetable garden.That means the tubers it forms are actually edible; popular varieties like 'Marguerite' have small, round tubers, while varieties like 'Blackie' have longer, narrower tubers. Everyone at work flipped over them! Don't be afraid to cook your sweet potato longer and hotter (we're talking up to 425 degrees). This will help the heat to reach the center of the potato and allows moisture to escape during the cooking process (so you don't end up with a watery result). Related: What's the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams? So, when fall arrives and it’s time to tidy up the garden, don’t just throw the ornamental potato vines out. "Very healthy and tasty sweet potatoes that will be a great addition to any meal. Use a well-draining pot large enough to accommodate it comfortably. Smaller ones will be done faster, larger potatoes may take a bit longer. Tip the potatoes back into the pan and mash with 1 tbsp butter using a fork or masher, then season well. There is no need to add syrup or marshmallows to them; they are perfectly sweet … Once you’ve washed, dried, pricked, greased, and seasoned the sweet potatoes, you’ll simply place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until tender. For basic baked sweet potatoes, follow these instructions to reach a fluffy and tender consistency. Preheat the oven to 375°F. They make beautiful houseplants too.. What's the secret to those irresistibly fluffy interiors? Roast beef is a classic main dish for holidays, family get-togethers, and elegant dinners alike. Using ornamental sweet potato in planting design. Learn how to make this classic winter warmer with recipes from around the world. Ipomoea butatas, or sweet potato vine, thrives in hot, tropical climates and is an ornamental foliage plant often used as a foil for flowering displays. If you’re busy and working all day, I also love making them in the crock pot, with this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Recipe –just dump them in, set it and forget it. If it isn't fork-tender after five minutes, continue to microwave in one-minute increments until done. Ornamental Sweet Potato Winter Care. Rub potatoes with oil. Baked Sweet Potato. Kids and adults alike can enjoy the tasty croquettes as a fun alternative to tater tots at brunch or dinner. Boil whole for 30-50 minutes. Leave all of the stems exposed. Crock pot baked sweet potatoes---the easy way to cook sweet potatoes when you don't want to turn on the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Plant ornamental sweet potato vine in a container filled within 1 inch of the top with commercial potting soil. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes. The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant. Over the course of the last decade or so, ornamental sweet potatoes have become almost a staple in many hanging baskets or decorative containers. Go for thinner, uniform sweet potatoes. I poked them, and put them all on a pizza pan, taking the smaller ones off after about 20 minutes. Avoid storing them in the fridge, as this can cause them to require longer cooking times and can even affect the flavor. For one sweet potato, microwave on 100 percent power for 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. © Copyright 2020, Our Top 20 Most Cherished Christmas Cookies, Make-Ahead Breakfast Minis to Save Your Mornings, 15 Classic Sandwiches That Make Lunch Legendary, 14 Nights of Dinner Ideas All Under $2 Per Serving, 15 No-Yeast Breads for Quick and Easy Baking, 10 Easy Christmas Cookies for Once-a-Year Bakers, 9 Chicken Stew Recipes That Make for Comforting Dinners, 10 Leftover Turkey Meals to Freeze for Quick Weeknight Dinners, 16 Mom-Approved Christmas Cookies to Sweeten the Season, 18 Spicy Korean Recipes That Showcase Gochujang Chile Paste. Although you may be tempted to pick the more meatier potato, thinner sweet potatoes will cook evenly all the way through to the center. Sign up for our newsletter. Making sure your sweet potato is dry will ensure you get that dry, crispy skin. Here's How Long Potatoes Last If You Store Them Correctly, How to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave. This is an easy process and the ornamental leaves are stunning. The colors are beautiful and make a nice autumn presentation," says recipe creator DRUMNWRITE. Coming in at only 162 calories for a large plain baked sweet potato and 293 with a little butter and oil for this recipe, eat and enjoy! They add the trailing component that is needed to balance out containers. On a large baking tray, toss sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. What's the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams? Cool slightly. Recipe creator TINA B says, "My family begs me to make this creamy baked dish every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once your sweet potatoes are baked, you can stuff them with all kinds of tasty toppings. Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. Layer the bottom of the box with newspaper, then tear strips of newspaper to form a cushion in the bottom of the box. Before you get started, consider these tips for baking sweet potatoes to perfection: If you're like me, you've probably tried the fork stabbing method when cooking baked potatoes. Set the oven timer for the required amount of time. A friend served a version of these at a luncheon, and I absolutely loved it. No gift befits the food-obsessed people in your life like a cookbook. Avoid garden soil, which is too heavy and becomes compacted. Place 3 medium sweet potatoes onto the rack, and cook on high manual for 20 minutes. This will help caramelize the natural sugars in the sweet potato, giving you the crunchy and sweet sheen. 03 of 15. What that means regarding eating ornamental sweet potatoes is that, yes, while you can eat ornamental sweet potatoes, they are not necessarily the tastiest of sweet potatoes and are, in fact, much more bitter. Roast until tender, tossing halfway through, 30 to 35 minutes. Because of my experience with sweet potatoes exploding in the microwave, even though I had poked them, I decided to convection bake these at 350 degrees. See instructions for mashed sweet potatoes above, but omit the maple syrup. Finally, do a natural pressure release. Can you eat ornamental sweet potatoes? Once you've cooked them, they can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, or frozen in an airtight container for up to four months. A fork or knife should be easily inserted into the center of the potato when it's finished baking. Add two minutes for each additional potato. Preheat oven to 240ºC (220ºC fan). So how do you end up with the right one? I found some sweet potatoes in my fridge that I hadn't used and decided to try it. I love roasted sweet potatoes, but sometimes it's not convenient to turn on the oven. And using a slow cooker to cook sweet potatoes is a great paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30 meal prep hack. Continue to add layers of newspaper and potatoes until your box is full or until you run out of potatoes. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Add comma separated list of ingredients to include in recipe. cook sweet potatoes in the boiling salted water 20 to 25 minutes or until just tender Pull the toothpicks out of the potato and cover it completely with soil. If you've ever encountered this problem when baking sweet potatoes, it's probably because you're cooking with the wrong size. They're great with pork chops or steak, too!". Serve with the extra butter and more seasoning on top. As with many good things, the plants time comes to an end and is invariably jerked out of the container to be tossed in the compost. This guide to cooking roast beef will help you create a flavorful, moist, and tender roast. ", Recipe creator SDELATORE says, "This creamy sweet potato recipe is a huge hit with everyone. It does produce sweet potato tubers, and though these won't cause any harm if eaten, they tend to be bland and bitter. Place a layer of potatoes, then cover with newspaper strips, then a section of newspaper. If you're in the market for a more savory sweet potato side dish, give this simple recipe a try. Get tips and tricks for tender and fluffy sweet potatoes every time. Roasting sweet potatoes in the oven brings out their natural flavor and sweetness. Picking the right sweet potato can make all the difference when you're trying to achieve that perfect baked sweet potato. That said, ornamental sweet potato tubers are planted for their lovely chartreuse, purple or variegated trailing foliage that serves as the perfect counterpoint to offset annual blooms. Allrecipes is part of the Meredith Food Group. Boiling Cubed Sweet Potatoes. High in nutritional value, and lower in calories than white potatoes, sweet potatoes make an easy side dish for dinner or a light lunch. Cooking a wet or damp potato means you're going to steam the skin. Yes, ornamental sweet potatoes are edible! They are bred for the beauty of their leaves rather than edible tubers, and the vines from these plants make them look more like a morning glory or clematis than a member of the potato family. Rub the skin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Thoroughly wash and dry sweet potatoes. Prick sweet potatoes liberally with a fork. Fork (for baking) Aluminum foil (for … Try it and I'm sure it will become your new tradition!". Bake until the skin crisps and the insider is tender. Things You'll Need. Read on to learn how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven to bring out their sweetness and achieve that light, fluffy texture we all love. Very easy! Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven when they … Before they're cooked, sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place — like your countertop (so long as it's a well-ventilated room and not in direct sunlight). You may never bake sweet potatoes in the oven again! After thoroughly washing your potato, you want to make sure you get the skin as dry as possible. Mashed sweet potatoes are combined with breadcrumbs and a few other pantry ingredients, then molded for deep-frying until crispy and golden brown. Step 2: Fold in brown sugar and pecan. I could eat a simple, baked sweet potato with brown sugar-cinnamon butter for every meal. Use a knife to make about 8 crosswise slashes up and down the potato. With fatter sweet potatoes, the outsides will be done before the centers have been fully cooked. Ornamental sweet potato tubers are, indeed, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). It may take a heavy hand on the brown sugar and butter to make them palatable. Larger sweet potatoes will take closer to 1 hour to cook while smaller ones can be ready in as little as 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the potatoes to cool for 5 minutes. This plant grows like topsy making it perfect for ground cover and your garden beds. Season with butter, brown sugar, pecans, marshmallows or any other topping of your choice. 1. "This is a great autumn or winter side dish, especially for those who like things sweet and salty. But I was always frustrated that I couldn't replicate the tender, melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes you find at steakhouses and other restaurants. If you haven’t microwaved the potatoes then cook them for 40-45 mins or until they are tender all the … Sweet potatoes have natural sugars that will ooze out and caramelize during cooking, so using foil or parchment paper will prevent sticking as much as possible. This heat loving perennial will die back if the plant experiences hard freezes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C.). How to Bake Sweet Potatoes. The others took about 15 more minutes. What makes it so good is the pecan topping! The bold, brilliantly coloured leaves can be used to complement cordylines, heliconias, palms in a tropical inspired garden. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. A hanging basket is a good choice for this plant’s vining habit. If that hasn't worked for you, try slashing the potato crosswise about eight times up and down the potato. It may take a heavy hand on the brown sugar and butter to make them palatable. They come in a variety of colors ranging from lime-green to deep, dark purple to copper. 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Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Thoroughly wash and dry sweet potatoes. G ardeners you will be so excited to learn how to grow a sweet potato vine from a sweet potato. Oven mitts or pot holders. Slice the potato lengthwise and serve with butter, salt, pepper, and/or brown sugar as desired. This largely depends on the size of the potato. Scrub brush. Fire up your grill and break out a few seasonings to make these simple yet sumptuous grilled sweet potatoes: Peel potatoes and cut in half, lengthwise Season with salt or other seasonings Grill 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender Boiling Whole Sweet Potatoes. Microwave at HIGH 15 minutes or until tender, checking for doneness after 10 minutes. Simply brush with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. 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