Since 1926, the Agricultural Review has been a free newspaper published by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For many years, The Tar Heel Kitchen was a featured column written by the department’s marketing home economist. These recipes tended to be seasonal with just a handful of ingredients. We thought these recipes needed to be shared in a new format. The Tar Heel Kitchen post will unearth a few of these timeless recipes each month. This week we are looking back at the Oct. 1, 1985 issue and a recipe for fried sweet potatoes.
Valentine’s Day is not the only thing that is sweet about February. It’s also the time we celebrate National Sweet Potato month. Since 1971, North Carolina has ranked No. 1 in sweet potato production. Our top sweet potato-producing counties are Sampson, Nash and Johnston, accounting for half of the state’s supplies.
“Sweet potatoes are among the most easily prepared of all vegetables,” said Barbara “Babs’ Wilkinson, former NCDA&CS home economist. “They may be baked, boiled, browned, fried and candied. They can be used to make biscuits, bread, muffins, pies, custards, cookies, or cakes.”
For dozens of sweet potato recipes, visit the N.C. Sweet Potato Commission’s website. Or, try this quick, kid-friendly way to enjoy sweet potatoes.
Fried Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 medium-size sweet potatoes, cleaned and peeled
- 1/3 cup butter
- Sugar
Slice potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place in salted water for 30 minutes. Drain. Heat butter in large skillet; add potato slices. Cook until tender and golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with sugar.
Note from the test kitchen: We left the skins on for additional health benefits. And we think brown sugar would be a great substitute for the sugar.