Search on for best sweet potato recipes

The search for delicious sweet potato recipes is back and better than ever. The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, along with Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine, is hosting its 10th annual Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest for fresh, frozen and canned sweet potatoes.
All chefs are invited to enter their original recipes in the professional category. Recipes should include fresh, frozen or canned yams. There is no entry fee or limit of entries per individual. The contest organizers hope to show sweet potatoes’ versatility in a wide range of dishes.
The contest will kick off January 1 with final entries being due June 1, 2014. One overall grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000. Additional winners from each of the categories will receive $500.
Finalists’ recipes will be prepared by culinary students from the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, which will also serve as the new location for the contest. A respected panel of food-industry professionals will judge recipes based on overall flavor, texture, visual appeal and creativity.
In addition to the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission and Louisiana Cooking Magazine, Bruce Foods and Alexia Foods will sponsor the 10th annual Sweet Rewards contest.
The 2013 Sweet Rewards contest grand prize was awarded to Harvey Morris of Chicago, Illinois for his “Sweet Potato Bacon Biscuits.” Susan Mason, from Des Moines, Iowa, placed first in the appetizer category with her “Baby Batata Burritos” recipe. In the side dish category, Robert McNeill, from Surfside Beach, South Carolina, won first place for his recipe for “Sweet Potato Cakes with Pepper Jelly Drizzle.” Kim Pham, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won first place in the main dish category with a “Vietnamese Curry Chicken.” Valonda Seward, from Coarsegold, California, won first place in the dessert category for her “Spiced Sweet Potato Sandwich Cookies with Caramel Infused Cream Filling.” Amiee Deitz, from Tualatin, Oregon, placed first in the professional category with “Sweet Potato Cake with Honey Swiss Buttercream.”

The judges for the 9th annual contest included New Orleans chefs Phillip Lopez and Alon Shaya; Lorin Gaudin, cookbook author, writer and food blogger; Jay Ducote, writer, food blogger, and former Masterchef contestant; Erica Papillion of the Louisiana Restaurant Association; Christine Briede, president of Loubat Equipment; Holly Clegg, cookbook author and writer; Matt Garber, president of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission; Mary Gallent of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry; Nick Landry and Norm Brown, Jr. of Bruce Foods; Cheramie Sonnier, food editor at the Baton Rouge Advocate; Anne Cutler, WGNO morning anchor; and Bonnie Warren, editor, writer and food critic.
Winners’ names and recipes are featured in Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine’s November and December issue, as well as on their website.
The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission aims to promote the consumption of Louisiana sweet potatoes by educating consumers on the root’s nutritional value and versatility in unique, delicious recipes. Free recipes and nutritional information are available on the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission’s website at http://www.sweetpotato.org and on the Commission’s Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/louisianayams.
For detailed contest rules, tips on cooking with sweet potatoes and additional information about Louisiana sweet potatoes, log on to www.sweetpotato.org.