sweet potato question

[phatch]

I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes made sweeter, but I think they're pretty good in more savory combinations. Today I was making Sweet Potato Rolls to accompany some leftover ham. I saw the bag label and noted that sweet potatoes are kiln dried.

That struck me as a bit odd. Any one have any info on why sweet potatoes are dried? Kiln dried always reminds me of lumber.

Here's one of my favorite sweet potato preparations. Peel and slice the potato in 3/8 inch thick rounds. Season with a spicy seasoning such as a cajun blend/blackening. A barbecue rub would probably work well too though I haven't tried it. Melt some butter in a pan over mediumish heat. lay the rounds in and sear them off as it were until they pick up some browning and start to turn tender on that side. Turn and repeat for the other side.

There's a barbecue joint in Moab that serves a smoked sweet potato as a side dish. That's pretty good too.

Phil

[castironchef]

They don't really use a kiln to create "kiln-dried" sweet potatoes. Rather, they simply keep them hot for a bit to speed up the "cure," which helps convert some of their starches into sugars.