"sweet potatoes" news and stories

We'll always have Grandma's sweet potato casserole. It's a classic. But when you want to break out and use the orange spuds for something a little less grandmotherly (like these roasted sweet potatoes with red pepper aioli), check out Kitchen Daily contributor Ian Knauer's eight recipes, among them a sweet potato gratin that's creamy and rich, and smashed spiced sweet potatoes that are as simple as they are flavorful. And if it's a casserole you want, Ian's made that, too.

The Haymans variety of sweet potato is one you should try this year. It's ugly as sin, but it's rich and creamy and prized along the East Coast. Read more about it in the Washington Post.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole and More Sweet Potato Recipes

It's as fruity as you want it to be. This sweet-potato salad recipe from vegalicious.org, a good resource for vegans, is loaded with bananas, apples and dried apricots, and has a sweet, citrusy dressing -- which reminds us that the sweet potato isn't fit only to be served plain and baked or, in Thanksgiving fashion, stuck in a casserole and smothered with marshmallows.

One of the most delicious ways to serve sweet potatoes is to roast them, then toss with a lime-cilantro mixture -- a Gourmet recipe that even my sweet-potato-casserole-loving mom asks me to make again and again. For the savory counterpart to the fruity salad above, try a sweet-potato salad recipe heavy on tomatoes, snap peas, onion and celery.

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• If your plate is larger than 9 inches across, you're probably eating too much.
• Many Kansans are quick to turn their noses up at turnips, but it seems everyone wants locally grown sweet potatoes.
• A small-town barbecue-joint bartender made it all the way to the big time -- sort of. He went before Judge Judy in a carding case.
• A mom on a budget hits three grocery stores to find the best deals.
• One writer says the numbers don't lie when it comes to determining our national sandwich -- and he believes the clear winner is peanut butter & jelly.

Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."

When we think of peanuts, we think Virginia, ballgames and a top hat-wearing, cane-holding, monocled mascot. However, peanuts are also a staple in West African cooking and used prominently in many dishes. One such typical meal is a hearty stew made with tomatoes, sweet potatoes and peanuts.

This vegetarian version of the soup relies on the saltiness and creaminess of peanut butter -- the pantry staple and venerated American spread that is an often unsung hero in meals that don't include jelly or two slices of bread.

Presenting a new (and more acceptable) way to eat peanut butter by the spoonful.

Find the Peanut Stew recipe after the jump.