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National Cook a Sweet Potato Day

Food · February 22

A food day for cooking sweet potatoes, the orange root vegetable that roasts, mashes and bakes into dishes both savory and sweet.

National Cook a Sweet Potato Day falls on Monday, February 22, 2027. That is 118 days away.

Sweet potatoes are starchy roots with thin skin and flesh that is usually deep orange, though some are pale yellow or purple. Raw, they are hard and a little earthy. Cooked, they turn soft and sweet, which is the whole point of the occasion.

Heat does most of the work. A long, slow roast lets the natural sugars caramelize, and the juice that leaks out can turn sticky on the pan. Boiled and mashed, they go smooth with very little effort. Cut into wedges, they crisp at the edges and stay tender in the middle.

The vegetable swings both ways at the table. Some people treat it like dessert, with brown sugar, butter and a lid of marshmallows. Others go savory with chili, cumin, lime or a spoonful of black beans. Sweet potato pie, with its custard filling and warm spices, sits somewhere between the two camps and seems content there.

For marking the day, the simplest version is a single baked sweet potato: pierce it with a fork, put it straight on the oven rack with a tray below for drips, and wait until it gives under a gentle squeeze. Split it open and add whatever is in the fridge.

A sweet potato that feels heavy for its size and has smooth, firm skin will usually cook up moist and even.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a whole sweet potato and top it with what you have on hand.
• Try roasted sweet potato wedges with a pinch of chili and lime.
• Mash sweet potatoes with butter and a little cinnamon.
• Share a family sweet potato recipe with a friend or neighbor.
• Look for a purple or white variety at the grocery store.

Dates

All national days on February 22

Also on February 22

• National Margarita Day
• National Walking the Dog Day
• Be Humble Day

Categories: Food days