In my ever-expanding effort to eat as many new local foods as I can, I picked up something called “Okinawan Potatoes” at the Farmer’s Market this week. I like the farmer’s market because they label their food, then I Google it to see what it is. Sometimes when I get a box of veggies from the local farmer, it will have four different greens and I’ll have no clue what they are.
In this case, I had never heard of them. But my daughter had been asking for potatoes. These were very very hard, like turnips, and large and oblong:
Finally, I Googled them to see how to cook ’em. Turns out, they’re a purple sweet potato.
Now, my family HATES sweet potatoes and yams passionately. Even the ones covered in maple syrup and marshmallows. My husband privately says he hates them, but will “eat” them to show the kids it’s okay, if you count “eating” as spooning a tiny bit onto your plate and eyeing it like a raw goat testicle challenge on SURVIVOR.
I cut them open and they were indeed a lovely vivid purple. I peeled them– no easy feat– and cut them into small pieces, deciding to make a potato salad. They turned the cook water a brilliant purple, so I wished I had something to dye.
Then I made a potato salad with mayonnaise, dijon, hard boiled eggs, green onions, and some chopped up pickles. It didn’t look as pretty as I’d hoped and was in a cheesy bowl, so I didn’t bother with a pic. But it was good. My husband and oldest daughter ate it up. The others opted for tiny tastes. The pickles were a good contrast to the sweetness of the potato.
I do wonder if they’d be good with marshallows and maple syrup at Thanksgiving.
MARGARET DILLOWAY 