Well, let me tell ya ’bout these Murasaki sweet potatoes. I ain’t no fancy expert or nothin’, but I know what tastes good and what’s good for ya, kinda.
First off, some folks call ’em Japanese sweet potatoes. Now, I heard they actually growed these taters down in Louisiana, not Japan. But who am I to argue? They got this purplish skin, real dark like, and the inside is white, kinda creamy lookin’. “Murasaki,” that’s what they call that purple color in Japanese, I reckon.
These ‘taters, they ain’t like the regular orange ones. They got more starch, makes ’em kinda… I dunno… thicker, maybe? When you cook ’em up, they get real soft and sweet. I like to just bake ’em in the oven. Wrap ’em in foil, throw ’em in, and forget about ’em for a while. Easy peasy.
You can do all sorts of things with ’em, though. I seen folks mash ’em up like regular potatoes, put butter and milk and stuff. Makes a nice change, I guess. Some folks even make fries outta them. Sweet potato fries? Never thought of that myself, but I guess it works. My grandbaby, she likes to roast ’em with other veggies, like carrots and onions. Says it’s healthy and tastes good. Kids these days, always talkin’ ’bout healthy this and healthy that. Back in my day, we just ate what we had.
- Baking: Wrap in foil and bake until soft.
- Mashing: Boil and mash with butter and milk.
- Frying: Cut into fries and fry until crispy.
- Roasting: Roast with other vegetables.
Now, I ain’t one for fancy recipes. I keep it simple. But I heard you can put these Murasaki ‘taters in pies, cakes, even bread. My neighbor, she’s always tryin’ new things. She made a sweet potato casserole last Thanksgiving. Had pecans and marshmallows and all sorts of stuff on top. Looked mighty pretty, but I prefer my ‘taters plain, just a little salt and pepper is all I need.
I tell ya what, though, these ‘taters are good for ya. Someone told me they got more vitamins than the orange ones. Vitamin A, potassium, fiber… all that good stuff. Keeps you regular, you know? And gives you energy. Which is important when you gotta chase chickens outta the garden all day, let me tell ya.
They grow these ‘taters out in California now, mostly. Even though they started in Louisiana, I guess California’s got the right kinda weather or somethin’. Don’t matter to me where they come from, long as they taste good and don’t cost too much. Prices these days, they’re somethin’ else. Makes an old lady like me wanna just grow my own ‘taters, but my back ain’t what it used to be.
I read somethin’ ’bout Japan sendin’ their sweet potatoes all over the world. They got some kinda fancy way to keep ’em from goin’ bad, I guess. And they’re growin’ special kinds for different places. Smart folks, those Japanese. But I’m happy with my Murasaki ‘taters, right here from the store. Simple, tasty, and good for ya. Can’t ask for much more than that, can ya?
So, next time you’re at the store, look for those purple-skinned sweet potatoes. Give ’em a try. You might just like ’em. And if you don’t, well, more for me, I reckon.
One more thing, I remember someone tellin’ me that these ‘taters are packed with vitamin C too. Helps keep you from gettin’ sick, they say. Now, I don’t know about all that science stuff, but I figure eatin’ good food can’t hurt. And these Murasaki sweet potatoes sure taste good to me. So I’ll keep on eatin’ them, no matter what those fancy doctors say.
Anyway, that’s my two cents on these Murasaki sweet potatoes. They’re good eatin’, plain and simple. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got a hankerin’ for a baked sweet potato. Gotta go get one started.