Bonnie: Steamed foods are hot.

(Yes, yes. Two weeks ago, I told you about another steamed product. But hey, I love the fact that products are using this new technology. Steaming isn’t new — but the bag that allows frozen food to be steamed in the microwave is, which is why you’ll be seeing lots more steamable frozen foods.)

This is a trend that I hope sticks around for awhile. Nutritionally, it’s wonderful to cook food with steam, without fat. You can, of course, add a smidgen to the food after it’s cooked, but in that way, you control what you’re adding. I like that.

And I like Ore Ida Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes. What I like is that the product contains only sweet potatoes, salt and a sequestrant (an additive that prevents discoloration by binding the natural minerals in the food). I would have preferred it if Ore-Ida had used the more natural citric acid — although disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate does the same thing and is considered a safe additive.

This product makes it easy to include sweet potatoes easily at any time. Just pop into the microwave for 12 minutes, then mash — adding your own selected seasonings.

Here are some ways to enjoy this tuber this holiday season:

  • Mash along with cooked apples; season to taste
  • Mash with butter and brown sugar or maple syrup; season with salt and pepper
  • Mash along with cooked carrots and butter; cook equal parts wine vinegar and sweetener (use honey, maple syrup or brown sugar) until syrupy, then mix in; season with salt and pepper
  • Mash 1 bag Steam ‘n Mash with 1/4 c each brown sugar, orange juice and butter; season with 1/4 t each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper; bake in a casserole at 350-degrees for 45 minutes or until golden

Bryan: I’m trying to think back to all the posts we’ve had on Bite of the Best, straining to recall if I have yet had the opportunity to wax poetically on the marvelous tuber that is the sweet potato. Believing I have not yet preached the orange gospel (and apologizing if I may have), I take this opportunity to digress on what is one of my truly favorite foods. Long (and in a long-winded manner) have I lobbied the merits of this oft underappreciated and underutilized vegetable. Though I have never advocated the wholesale substitution of sweet for regular potatoes, I do find the overwhelming consumption of potato starch in this country should demand a more moderate representation of the sweet variety.

Sweet potatoes, (or yams, as many Americans call them, despite that being a different veggie), can bring standard dishes to new heights. There is no arguing with a perfectly prepared basket of fries, especially accompanying a juicy cheeseburger, but the occasional basket of sweet potato fries with just a dash of cinnamon is a reminder of how slightly different ingredients have dramatically different results. Try your next filet mignon with a sweet potato au gratin and see if your Bordeaux still stands up; the sweet provides new depths of flavor to even historically rich dishes.

Thanksgiving is a time when many dinner tables may be hosting sweet potatoes. From garlic-mashed to pies with marshmallow, Americans do pay homage to the “yam” in November. Let us not abandon the sweet so quickly. While eating Thanksgiving dinner this year, ask yourself over turkey and mashed sweet potatoes, “Why don’t I have this more often?”

Your excuses have dwindled even further with the introduction of Steam ‘n Mash from Ore Ida. This product is so easy! Take the bag out of the freezer, microwave for 12 minutes and mash. The work has been done for you: prepeeled, prewashed and ready to eat. Sweets are a great source of fiber, as well as vitamins A and C. They are a fantastic way to encourage picky children to eat their vegetables and they are a fun addition to almost any meal, in savory or sweet plates.

Though the easiest preparation is, as the package implies, to simply steam and mash the potatoes, Ore Ida’s website contains a variety of high-quality, tested recipes for each of the Steam ‘n Mash varieties. I quote one I’ve sampled here (the pie) and one I’ve just got to try (the casserole). Remember the sweets this year at Thanksgiving, and this time, try not to turn your back on them the rest of the year….

SAVORY – Sweet Potato Casserole with Bananas
What a crazy concoction!

1 bag Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 cup mini marshmallows
3/4 cup sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 1½-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Microwave Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes according to package directions. Add to a large bowl with bananas, pineapple, egg, coconut milk, seasonings and salt. Beat with electric mixer until light and very fluffy. Turn into casserole dish. Top with miniature marshmallows, then coconut. Bake at 350° F in the oven for 30 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

SWEET – Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie screams fall in New England to me….

1 bag Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes
1 refrigerated pie crust
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves

Microwave Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes according to package directions, but do not mash. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature and mash. Prepare pie crust in a deep dish pie plate. Blend together the sugars, eggs, milk and spices. Thoroughly mix the sweet potatoes with the liquid and pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 450° F for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° F and continue to cook for approximately 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover crust with foil after the first 15 minutes of baking if too brown.

Eric: The countdown to Thanksgiving has begun; my favorite holiday, a holiday where the materialism of presents is replaced by the more appreciated presence of friends, family and food. It also happens to be the time of year when one of my favorite foods — the sweet potato — takes center stage. This tuber, nutritionally valuable and delectably tasty, is a cornerstone of the American Thanksgiving feast; but where do we see it during the rest of the year? Just like the turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing – the sweet potato falls short on the list of items to grace your dinner table after the third Thursday in November.

Although I would always recommend taking the time to make a fresh bowl of mashed sweet potatoes — with some butter and a pinch of cinnamon (and for the youth in us, those miniature marshmallows) — I can understand that time plays an important role when preparing a (nutritious) meal for yourself or the family. Sometimes we just don’t have the time to cook what we’d prefer, and sometimes we just don’t feel like it. Those are the times that I praise the food industry for introducing us to the newest prepackaged food-preparation trend: steaming.

This would be one of those moments where I suggest you enjoy the “fruits” (or in this case “tubers”) of our technology and relish the fact that a microwave can help to produce a product any time of the year that provides the nutrition and taste of the beloved sweet potato. Take advantage. It’s quick, it’s healthy and it’s making a comeback. Welcome to Generation Steam.