Simple Sweet Potato

Sweet potato was the first food I made for Peanut.  It's a big flavor after months of breastmilk and formula but we decided to jump right in anyway.  He was a little unsure the first day but ate it anyway.  By day two he seemed less confused and day three he was eating like a champ.

This is the first of what may be many baby food posts.  If you aren't interested just come back tomorrow- I promise not to post 2 baby foods in a row! :)



There are a lot of different sweet potatoes at both the supermarkets and local farmer's markets so don't be afraid to mix things up and experiment!

Left to right you see a standard sweet potato, Japanese white sweet potato, purple sweet potato and what most people/places call yam.

For the record, the last one is not really a yam.  I've never actually seen a real yam which is highly uncommon in the U.S.  Here we just call sweet potatoes with orange flesh yams. 



Place your potatoes on the baking sheet and poke a few holes in them with a knife.

I baked all of these at 425 for varying amounts of time.  The 2 on the ends took 45 minutes and the purple took a little over an hour.  After taking this picture I realized that the Japanese white still wasn't done so I placed it cut side down and baked it for another 25 minutes bringing it to about an hour and a half.

You know they are done when the skin looks loose and the flesh is soft when squished or poked with a knife.  Don't squeeze hot potatoes with your bare hands to test them.

I'm just sayin'.

When I cut these I was a bit surprised.  Having picked up the purple and the Japanese white from the farmers market I had assumed that they were actually the opposite.  Come to find out the Japanese white has the purple skin and the purple has the white skin.



You can scoop the flesh out with a spoon but I just end up peeling the skin off.

Simply blend in your food processor to the desired consistency.  During the blending I went ahead and added filtered water to make it smoother.  When you feed your baby you can dilute it even more with water, breastmilk or formula if you like.

No, I did not edit these photos at all.  Yes, the 3rd one looks blue.  Or even worse, kinda grey.

Left to right you are looking at them in the same order.  Sweet potato, Japanese white, purple and "yam".



As you start to introduce your baby to more texture, reserve part of the sweet potato and mash it with a fork, then add to your puree.  You could also just pulse the processor a few times leaving some bits in tact.  Ricers will give you a different result as well. 

Each different process will yield a different texture and a new mouthfeel for your little.

Lots of new experiences.

Don't forget that big kids (like us) can eat this stuff too.  I love sweet potato mash.



Although they are all sweet potato, they do vary in taste.

The Japanese white (the one that looks a bit green) is super creamy and by far the sweetest of the four.  The purple I found to be the least sweet and the most starchy.

Although I think they would all taste great mixed with other food, I believe the standard white sweet potato (bottom right) would be the best mixed with other food from a purely aesthetic view.  I would hate to think what broccoli and yams mixed together would look like.



Peanut obviously doesn't care that I'm mixing sweet potato and peas and I forget what else.

He still too young to know that the bluish/greyish/slightly purplish food isn't normal either.

I think we all know my poor Peanut is going to grow up with a very different idea of what "normal" food is.  :)

Why is it I feel the need to open my mouth every time I feed him a spoonful?



Jar up your food or place it in ice cube trays and freeze for later.  I'm passing some to my nephew, keeping some for Peanut and passing some to a friend.  Those 4 potatoes gave me 12 of these jars!  These will also keep in the refrigerator for 3 or so days.

Anyone need some sweet potato puree for your baby?  I'm making more food than I can store :)

*Storage:  Place in an airtight container.  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.