I love going home for the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving. I come home and immerse myself into the three F's: family, football and food. But, I'll have to admit, the food part is my favorite. When I was a kid I used to hang out in the kitchen while my parents prepared elaborate holiday dinners for the rest of my extended family.

The food was always a hodgepodge of our family's Eastern European heritage alongside classic American holiday treats. And when I think about those American holiday treats, one dish always comes to mind: sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato fritters
Take everything you love about sweet potato fries and mashed sweet potatoes, combine them and you have these delicious sweet potato fritters. The recipe below pairs the natural sweetness of the tuber with a touch of curry powder for a bit of heat; the result is a delicious fritter that makes the perfect main or side.

Sweet potato wedges
Trade your regular fries or roasted potatoes for these slightly spiced sweet potato wedges. The recipe below is super easy to make: Just toss the potatoes with oil and spices, roast for half an hour and they're ready to go.

Baked Parmesan sweet potatoes
Change up regular roasted veggies with a bit of pizzazz. The recipe below combines rustic, comforting roasted sweet potatoes with a hint of Parmesan and garlic. The result is a tasty side dish to dress up a simple main dish.

Garlic butter mashed sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes take on a more savory flavor than usual in this recipe. Mashed until they're nice and smooth and combined with a homemade garlic butter, they make a delicious side dish to chicken, meat, or fish. Because they don't contain as much starch as regular potatoes, you can make your life easy by mashing them in the food processor or even with an immersion blender, or you can just mash them with a fork for more texture.

Vegetarian garlic mashed sweet potatoes
Everyone loves buttery, rich mashed potatoes, but you know what’s even better? Mashed sweet potatoes. They’re more nutritious than regular mashed potatoes and more flavorful, too. If you use the orange-fleshed yams, they’re also gorgeous. Their flavor is rich and buttery with an added hint of sweetness. This recipe is festive enough for a holiday meal but simple enough to make any time.

Slow cooker sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a staple of some holiday meals, but that doesn't mean you can't make them more often. The recipe is cheap, easy and oh so delicious.

Whole sweet potatoes in a slow cooker
Sweet potatoes are extremely beneficial to your health. They're an excellent source of vitamin C, high in vitamin B6 and vitamin D, and packed with iron, magnesium and potassium. In the video below the recipe is simple and allows the sweet potatoes to slowly cook in their own skin.​

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