The Daily Chomp: How to: Make Sweet Potato Hash

Keeping things interesting with your sides can be difficult. Steaming and mashing your veggies can get real old, real quick. A nice alternative to traditional white and red potatoes is the sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are full of fiber and packed with tons of nutrients including beta carotene, Vitamins C and B6, iron, and calcium. Sweet potato hash is a great way to mix things up and get some healthy fat as it is fried in coconut oil. Here's what you'll need.

Materials

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Peeler
Food processor with "shred" blade in place
Frying pan --medium sized
Large serving spoon
Spatula
Storage container (if shredding more potatoes than you will use this frying session)

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes (at least 3 decent sized taters)
Coconut oil (I use Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil which I found at Meijer for $6.99 a jar)

Directions

Place a generous spoonful of coconut oil into the frying pan at medium heat. The coconut oil looks like shortening and cooks like it too--it needs to be heated before it becomes clear. Don't worry that the oil is solid when you first scoop it out of the jar.

While the oil is heating, peel your sweet potatoes (or scrub them well if want to keep the skins on).

Cut the potatoes into small enough pieces that they will fit into the food processor chute.

Shred all your sweet potatoes. This is what 3 shredded sweet potatoes look like.

Time to cook up your sweet potatoes. If you are cooking for one, I suggest frying up 4 handfuls of shredded sweet potatoes and storing the rest. Two handfuls is a serving. I made two servings, one to be eaten right away and one to be reheated for dinner tonight. Make sure the oil is completely liquid before adding your sweet potatoes. Be careful of the oil popping as well.

Any remaining shredded potatoes can be stored in a container for frying later during the week. It's probably best to cook them within the next 2-3 days. I put mine in the refrigerator