I think sweet potatoes are often overlooked at the market because it’s hard not to see them as the ooey gooey, sweet side dish served at Thanksgiving. Here is an easy and delicious recipe for baked sweet potato chips, crunchy, almost lace-like chips with a lightly sweet flavor, and health benefits much greater than a regular potato. I serve these with tomato soup, they are a flavorsome light snack, and I‘m sure kids would love them. I’ve also included some in-depth information on sweet potatoes, their history, and nutritional benefits.

The sweet potato is a member of the Morning Glory family and is only distantly related to the potato, and even more distantly related to the true yam. The age old question of “sweet potato or yam?” has a fairly simple answer. In the United States, the word “yam” is used to describe sweet potatoes with moist texture and orange flesh. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied by “sweet potato”. Sweet potatoes, not yams (which are grown in tropical regions), are what we mostly eat in the States. The origin of this misnomer may stem from African slaves in the South who called the sweet potato “nyami” because it reminded them of the tuber that grew in their homeland. The Senegalese word “nyami” was eventually shortened to “yam”. In American markets, there are two primary varieties of sweet potato: one with dry, yellow flesh and tan skin; the other with darker, orange skin and sweet orange flesh (erroneously called a yam). Hopefully this kills some confusion regarding the terminology, maybe it just adds to it!

The deep orange variety of sweet potato offers the most value in terms of health. One baked sweet potato can provide over 8,800 IU of vitamin A or about twice the Recommended Daily Value, yet it contains only 141 calories. It provides 42% of the Recommended Daily Value of vitamin C, 6% calcium, 10% iron, and 8% thiamine. It’s low sodium, and a great source of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals. Sweet potato is also a complex carbohydrate food source that provides beta carotene, which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Sweet potatoes are easy to find, affordable, and especially easy to work with. Here are simple instructions for preparing sweet potato chips at home:

Recipe

Each large sweet potato should yield 30+ chips. You could lightly toss the chips in olive oil before cooking, but I find the texture and flavor to be sufficient without. There are endless options as far as playing with the recipe; you could add parmesan cheese at the end, sprinkle with chopped parsley, etc. This method is more of a dehydration than baking of the chips, which leaves you with the perfect crunch.

1 large sweet potato, washed and dried

salt (Fleur de Sel, if available), pepper, herbs or spices (optional)

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Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mandoline with straight blade, slice potato in rounds, thin to the point of translucency. Arrange the slices on baking sheets, leaving a little space between them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you are using herbs or spices, I would wait until the second part of the baking to add them.

Cook for 50 minutes. At this point the slices will be partially dehydrated and shrunken; turn them over and switch racks. Cook about 25-35 minutes more, or until the slices are starting to curl and are golden. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks where they will continue to crisp as they dry.

Sources:
Wikipedia - Sweet Potatoes
Our Vegetable Travelers