Recipe: Breakfast Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Yogurt Sauce
I started eating sweet potatoes for breakfast years ago after reading an article in Prevention magazine that recommended packing a baked sweet potato in your suitcase when you travel so you could have a healthy and delicious breakfast away from home. I've never done that, but I do love having a hot baked sweet potato for breakfast with this cinnamon-yogurt sauce. Enjoy the vivid colors, the fragrance, the contrasts of temperature and texture, and of course the taste.
Your body will thank you too. Sweet potatoes are a terrific source of vitamins A (beta carotene), E, and B6 as well as calcium, potassium, and iron. They are high in fiber, so they will stick to your ribs, not spiking your blood sugar or letting you get hungry. One cup of baked sweet potato has 4 grams of protein and the barest trace of fat. The yogurt sauce adds another gram of protein, plus more calcium.
This is a speedy and energy-efficient breakfast if you bake the sweet potatoes in advance and then microwave the pre-cooked potatoes in the morning.
For four servings: active time: 4 minutes. Total time: 14 minutes to 2 hours plus, depending on baking method. Makes 4 servings, a generous 1 cup each.
Ingredients
4 large sweet potatoes
Cinnamon-Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons brown sugar (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)
Method
- Scrub sweet potatoes but do not peel them. Bake or microwave until they yield when you squeeze them. Keep a hotpad or a dry towel between your hand and the sweet potatoes when squeezing so you don't burn yourself.
- To bake, wrap each potato in foil and bake until soft. The potatoes are very forgiving, baking fine from 325 to 400 degrees. There's no need to preheat the oven if you put them on a center shelf. You can move them when you put in more sensitive dishes. If they aren't quite done when the other dishes are, let them stay in the cooling oven for up to two hours. Use potatoes right away or refrigerate for a day or two. To reheat, remove foil and microwave sweet potatoes for about 2 minutes each.
- To microwave, pierce each potato with a fork several times so the steam can escape. Put potatoes about an inch apart on a microwave-safe plate. Cook on high, turning potatoes over half-way through. Four potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes. One potato will cook in 4 to 5 minutes, with each additional potato taking another 2 to 3 minutes. The timing varies based on the power of your microwave and the size and age of the sweet potatoes.
- Meanwhile, mix up the cinnamon-yogurt sauce. Refrigerate if not using right away.
- To serve, split the top skin of the sweet potato lengthwise and mash the flesh inside with a fork. Top with 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-yogurt sauce.
Tips and notes
- Breakfast for one? Make 1 serving starting with a raw sweet potato in 3 minutes of active time and 8 minutes total time.
- To make serving and eating even easier, peel all the sweet potatoes after they have cooked. Use a potato masher or big fork to mash them roughly together. Serve each person about a cup of mashed sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon-yogurt sauce or let them serve themselves from a big bowl. This is a good option for young children, people with vision problems, and anyone who likes a little TLC.
- Make an attractive brunch dish by mashing the potatoes as described above and serving in a big dish. Swirl the yogurt sauce over the potatoes.
- Although I don't recommend traveling with cooked, unrefrigerated sweet potatoes, you could pack a raw one and microwave it at your hotel.
