MURASAKI SWEET POTATOES WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. They changed mine. As many of you know, I've been navigating the last few years trying to get rid of all ultra-processed food in my diet and casual dessert. I've been working hard at kicking processed sugar to the curb. So, what to do when at the end of a long day I still want a treat? I reach for these potatoes. These are Japanese sweet potatoes that are dark purple on the outside and pale yellow on the inside. They are not too sweet like the orange sweet potatoes you normally find, but just sweet enough that with a little salted butter make the most amazing treat you will ever eat. They are a little drier and fluffier on the inside than the typical orange sweet potato or yam - which makes them amazingly light and delicious. They always have them at my local Trader Joe's so I grab a big bag and cook them up. What I especially want to share with all of you is my technique on cooking and prepping. I've got it down! Simply wash/scrub these potatoes down as well as you can, dry them, and then pop them into the oven at 420 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking tray lined with a wire rack as pictured above. No poking, coating with oil, or aluminum foil or wrap needed. Just place them on the rack and cook them for 1 hour - no less. That hour is crucial in really getting them soft and fluffy on the inside. Remove them and eat piping hot ... and store the rest. This is where it gets interesting ... Because at this point the potato on the inside is delicious, but the skin is kind of rubbery and not as fun to eat. But, there's fiber and nutrition in the skin ... so ...
I store what I don't eat right away in the fridge. That's right. They are now cooked and will be super easy to keep on hand whenever you need a sweet 'fix'. I keep mine in a large glass container to grab as needed. When I do grab one for a snack, with dinner, or as dessert, I take a potato and slice it lengthwise in half. I then place it in my toaster oven and heat it on the toaster setting for 7 minutes. This not only warms up the potato on the inside, but it crisps up the skin so perfectly that when I pull it out, butter it up, salt it a touch, I literally eat the whole skin and potato together. The crispiness of the skin is so incredibly satisfying and delicious. For some reason, the skin does not get all that crispy when they first come out of the oven. It's this extra step that gets them beautifully crunchy. And now you have the potato and all the fiber and nutrition from the skin.
It's tips like this that have kept me on my path to be my healthiest ever. And now that they have seen me eating these gorgeous potatoes, my husband and older daughter are as addicted - my younger daughter not so much - but she's also not a huge sweet potato fan. This cook and store method will save you so much time and energy and will ensure you have the benefits of this amazing sweet potato on hand at all times. Let me know below how these potatoes change your life. xoxo Anupy.
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