I'm going to wait the 4 days that is suggested before introducing a new food(to make sure he's not allergic, but I don't think I've ever heard of anyone allergic to apples...) and then move forward with sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes should have been something I started with, but I found myself stuck in that sweet potato, yam debate...couldn't quite figure out what was what and I wasn't seeing any pink skinned, orange fleshed things in the market that seemed to be the beta carotene rich things I should be feeding Marshall.
So, here's some education, for those of you who don't already have it. Everything sold in the US as a sweet potato or a yam is actually a sweet potato. Yes, yes, its quite true. Sweet potatoes come in all sorts of colors of flesh and skins(here, pink/purple skin, white flesh), but all tend to have that smooth, thin skin and the appearance of a somewhat gnarled potato.
Now, here in Mali, there is, actually, a true yam. Here is a picture of what they look like here(thanks to some random guy on the web...)
Well, the ones I see here are a bit skinnier and tapered, but its the same woody, bark-like skinned thing, 2-3 feet long, I understand they can get as long as 7 feet. The flesh is remarkably different as well. Somewhat yellow and fibrous when cooked.
So why, now that you see the difference, do we call sweet potatoes yams in the states sometimes. Well, here is something else I learned. The "Africans" called sweet potatoes "nyami" when they "came over." Hence the word yam was applied.
So there you go. I'll let you know how the sweet potatoes go. And Im sure at some point, he'll also have yam, although just one seems to make a pound and a half of them...
By the way, sweet potatoes are now recognized as one of the healthiest foods. Go enjoy one...Here's a way to enjoy it in an, unfortunately, not so healthy way that I discovered somewhere in the states and would adapt for special occasions:
Bake a medium sweet potato(I don't know...like 40 minutes at 375-400), open as you would a baked potato and dress with brown sugar, butter, sour cream and chopped pecans. SO yummy.
I guess a more healthy way I've done them is sliced as french fries, tossed with olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper and paprika. Bake, 20 minutes(i think) at 375. Serve with ketchup mixed with Tabasco or tarter sauce.
