Sweet Potato Time - Burgers

I love the name of this root vegetable, it has all the richness in texture of a potato and to add a cherry on top - its sweet! What more to ask from mother nature? Potatoes might be a veggie to stay away from but not sweet potatoes.

Living in the US,  ever got confused in grocery stores between sweet potatoes, yams and garnet yams. I did so I found about it. Recipes show bright orange color of sweet potatoes. But roots labeled as sweet potatoes are white inside. Its the yam or garnet yam that has the eye catching orange color. So do I buy sweet potatoes or yams? Interestingly, in the US most grocery stores selling yams are a variety of sweet potatoes. Read more about it here

Among several health benefits of this root, the one I remember at the top is high amount of antioxidant beta-carotene,  which the body converts to Vitamin A. Not to forget Vitamin A importance for eyes and bone strength but also that it is a fat soluble vitamin and helps in weight loss. Sweet Potato/Yam (in the US) gets its bright orange color from its high beta-carotene content. The brighter the better - simple rule.

After I started getting a little bored with baked sweet potato fries, I tried to incorporate it in other forms. 

Whatsay Burgers :)  

Recipe

2 cups peeled, boiled and mashed orange flesh sweet potatoes

2 cups chopped onions

2-3 cloves garlic

1 cup rolled oats or 1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Method

• Heat a large skillet and cover with non stick cooking spray. Saute garlic and onion.
• Combine the above onion mixture and all other ingredients in a food processor. Mix well on pulse.
• Make 1/2 inch thick patties of the above mixture
• Heat some oil in a pan and cook the patties on each side until brown. Around 4 min each side on medium high
• Enjoy the patties warm with your favorite burger toppings (avocado, caramelized onions, ketchup, mustard, greens, pickles  chili sauce anything to your taste)

Btw, they freeze well too.