Purple power, in potatoes

                              

                             Purple power!

                                         We usually have sweet potatoes around here. Yams are different things from different places, but we’re kind of used to them all being orange inside.  I was at the grocery store and saw a sign for yams, so I bought one and kept it on the counter a while before cooking it.

                             Imagine my surprise when I cut into it and it was purple. It must have been a Dioscorea alata, a learned through internet “research” long after I consumed it.

                             So if you happen to find a purple yam, I can imagine a certain group of loyal classmates in Port Neches and Groves who would love such a meal presentation.

                             I sliced some up for breakfast and the purple paired with egg yolk was an early morning pop of color.

                             So back to sweet potatoes…

                             How do you like them?

                             For years I’ve been baking them like a regular potatoes and serving them with butter, Greek yogurt and curry powder. If you’re lucky enough have some bacon and green onions, that’ll work, too.

                             My mom potted a sweet potato and the vine has been making a lush crawl up a trellis every summer. Sometimes I harvest the leaves and enjoy them in a salad. I learned this trick by finding leaves for sale at a farmer’s market.

                             Happily, the vine loves this treatment and produces more with every cut.

                  Half a honey bun

                            Here’s a breakfast trick not everyone will be willing to try. It involves sharing.

                             Sometimes an extra honey bun, doughnut, fritter or something like that comes into your life. You know it tastes good, but just looking at it makes you feel a tad guilty. So many extra calories you didn’t plan for.

                             I actually find these little gifts more flavorful if sliced thin and grilled in butter to a certain crispness.

                             From there I can fry an egg or two  around these sweet, crunchy bites and then that one pastry becomes breakfast for two in a French toasty kind of way.

                             Sharing becomes easier when you think about great flavor at half the calories.

                             If you try this, let me know what you think.

                   

                  Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie always looking to get the most out of her three squares a day. Tips? Send them her way via darraghcastillo@icloud.com