While in the produce department of our local supermarket this past December, a fellow shopper turned to me and asked if I knew the difference between a yam and a sweet potato. She needed sweet potatoes, but as she was studying the choices, she wasn’t sure which was which.

I confess I wasn’t sure. So I’ve been doing my research. Although the holiday meal frenzy is over (which usually involves a sweet potato casserole smothered in melted mini-marshmallows), I thought I’d pass on what I’ve learned. Sweet potatoes are considered one of the best heart-healthy foods on the planet, so we ought to be eating them all year, after all.

With that goal in mind, then, we need to know what a true sweet potato looks like. Here’s what I found on a very helpful site, the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission Foundation (NCSPCF, www.ncsweetpotatoes.com):

What’s in a name? A lot when it comes to sweet potatoes and yams. The truth is what you’ve been calling a yam is most likely a sweet potato. Even more, it’s possible that you’ve never even tasted a yam!

That sweet, orange-colored root vegetable folks call a yam is actually a sweet potato. It’s just one of many varieties of sweet potatoes. So where did all of the confusion come from? Let’s break down the main differences between yams and sweet potatoes!

A true yam is a starchy edible root; its peel is rough and scaly and the flesh is very low in beta carotene. But a sweet potato’s flesh, depending on variety, can vary from white to orange and even purple. It’s confusing, but here are the differences in a nutshell:

• Sweet potatoes and yams are considered tuberous roots, and both are sweet and delicious.

• Sweet potatoes don’t have as high a sugar content as yams.

• Sweet potato skin can range from thin and pale to dark and thick. Paler skinned sweet potatoes have white flesh which is not as sweet and moist as the darker-skinned, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

• Sweet potato skin is thinner and smoother than yam skin.

• Unlike the sweet potato, yams must be cooked to be safely eaten. Preparation is a time-consuming process involving several minutes of pounding and boiling to remove toxins.

• Sweet potatoes have an oblong body with tapered ends. It can be short and fat or long and thin, but it will always taper at the ends.

Now that you’ve found your spud of choice, follow these storage procedures carefully to prevent bruising or spoiling, and so yours will always be fresh, sweet, and delicious. They’ll store well for up to 2 weeks if kept properly:

• Avoid storing sweet potatoes in the refrigerator, which will produce a hard center and unpleasant taste.

• Instead, store them in a cool, dry, well ventilated container. For best results, store them in a basement or root cellar away from strong heat sources.

Now I’ll close with encouragement to add more sweet potatoes to your meals this year. Your heart (and family) will thank you! And to get you started, here’s a terrific sweet potato slow cooker recipe that is not just scrumptious, it’s fool-proof (courtesy of the helpful folks at NCSPCF)!

CARIBBEAN SWEET POTATO SLOW COOKER STEW (serves 8)

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes

2 boneless chicken breast halves

1 pound chorizo sausage

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes and juice

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Cut chicken and sausage into 1-inch pieces.

2. In a crock pot, combine sweet potatoes, chicken, sausage, onion, garlic, tomatoes, beans, paprika, salt, thyme, pepper, allspice, cumin and tomato paste. Cover and simmer on low heat until sweet potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 4 hours.

3. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.

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