Smashed Sweet Potato

This smashed, crispy, roasted purple sweet potato recipe is vegan, very healthy and tastes delicious. Combined with a creamy jalapeno dip, it makes the perfect side dish.

Sweet potatoes have always appealed to me. They make the perfect healthy snack or side dish with minimal touches, simply steaming them and seasoning them with salt and pepper is enough. I have always liked sweet potatoes this way.

My introduction to purple sweet potatoes came only a few years back when I saw a picture of them. I never knew that they existed since I had never found them in India. They looked exquisite, like a royal beautiful vegetable, reserved for special occasions.

What are purple sweet potatoes?

No, these beauties are not dyed. Purple sweet potatoes are like any other sweet potatoes, except the fact that their flesh is a beautiful bright purple and is a bit drier than that of the traditional sweet potato. There is more than one type of purple sweet potato.

I got the Stokes purple sweet potato. They are commonly found in US as they are grown here. The potatoes are named after their birthplace, Stokes County in North Carolina. The other variety of purple sweet potato is the Okinawan sweet potato, with a beige skin and a deep purple flesh found in Hawaii, which again has a dry texture.

Purple sweet potato nutrition.

That deep purple color indicates the presence of anthocyanins, which research determines is immunity boosting and is found in purple and blue foods like eggplant, blueberries etc too. They provide antioxidant protection, particularly against heart disease and stabilize blood sugar metabolism. I read in this Livestrong article that even when cooked, the anthocyanin content of purple sweet potatoes is significantly higher than that of other blue or purple foods such as blueberries. They are also lower in glycemic index when compared to regular white potatoes.

Recipe for this smashed purple sweet potato

Take 2 medium-sized, purple sweet potatoes .

Cut off the ends of the potatoes and make 3/4 inch slices of the potato.

You can boil or steam the potatoes. For steaming in an Instant Pot, pour 1 cup of water in the bowl of the Instant Pot. Place a trivet inside the Instant Pot. Place a steamer basket on the trivet. Lock lid and cook the sliced purple potatoes on high pressure for 5 mins. Let the steam naturally release. You can also simply boil the sliced sweet potatoes, put the slices into a pot of salted boiling water for 15 minutes.

Use paper towels to drain excess water off the cooked sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and gently press down on the slices to make small discs.

Make a mixture of oil, parsley, cilantro , garlic and salt (to taste). Brush this mixture on the sweet potato slices.

Pour the remaining mixture over the potatoes.

Preheat oven to a high broil. Broil the potatoes for around 10 minutes till they are slightly crispy.

Sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top(if needed) and pepper and enjoy with a side of jalapeno dip

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

For the creamy, jalapeno dip, blend 1 jalapeno (remove seeds if you don’t want it to be spicy), ½ cup mayo, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 2 cloves garlic and juice of half a lime and a dash of sea salt in a high speed blender until the dip is thick and creamy.

Enjoy the smashed purple sweet potato with some of this delicious dip.