Sweet Potatoes Steamed in a Hot Pot

Peel and dice one large or two smaller sweet potatoes.

Place a steamer basket in a Hot Pot, and add a scant 2 cups of water or enough water to fill the space below the steamer.

Arrange sweet potato cubes to fill the basket.

Sweet Potatoes steaming in a Hot Pot with basket insert

Close lid, turn the pot on high, and steam 15 minutes.  Listen to the sounds the pot is making.  Occasionally trickle water into the closed pot through the spout so it doesn't boil dry.  If it is boiling violently, lower the heat setting.  If it stalls, raise the setting.  If it's already on high and stalling, add an ounce of cold water to get it going again.

Open the lid (carefully, the steam is hot!)  and test for doneness.  If you are planning to puree the potatoes, give them more time.  The potatoes in the photographs cooked for 30 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, pour the water out into a container with the lid closed, then turn the whole thing, steamer basket and all, upside down onto a plate, then lift off the steamer.  Season and otherwise prepare the sweet potatoes for serving.


To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).