Skip Sour Cream: Give Sweet Potatoes Better Flavor With This Creamy Addition

Potatoes and sour cream have long been culinary companions. The latter works especially well dolloped on perfectly cooked sweet potatoes. But if you want to balance that rich root vegetable flavor with a little more tang, you can give your orange or white sweet potatoes an upgrade with Greek yogurt instead.

Greek yogurt offers a similar flavor and texture to sour cream, but it's a great high-protein base that's lower in fat than sour cream if you're looking for a well-rounded, nutrition-forward dish — plus it has a brighter twang of sourness. When topping sweet potatoes with rich ingredients such as ground beef or cheese, Greek yogurt is actually a better option than sour cream because it offers more of a balance in flavor.

Something to keep in mind: Greek yogurt's lower fat content means it can split if it's overheated, so don't add it the second you slice open the potato's skin. Instead, let some of the steam escape, cooling the surface slightly, before adding in the yogurt. Ultimately, though, the best way to build a better sweet potato is to combine the Greek yogurt with complementary herbs and flavor enhancers.

While simply adding a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt on top of the potato is fine, you can use the yogurt as a base for a better topping. Turn it into a tzatziki-style sauce with fresh dill and cucumber for a brightness that will pair perfectly with the sweet potato's robust earthiness. A savory-leaning lemon yogurt is also a great addition to deeply seasoned recipes like loaded sweet potatoes with ras el hanout beef. For a little spice, add some crushed red pepper flakes — or, for a bigger hit of heat, some harissa or Calabrian chiles. Plain Greek yogurt is also a great balance with smoky, robust chipotle peppers, so you can build a bold-flavored sauce using yogurt, a little salt, and a couple of chipotles en adobo.

If you're short on ingredients, you can take the plain yogurt up a notch with just a handful of basic pantry staples. Kosher salt adds a savory balance while black pepper adds a modest spice. Finish it with garlic powder, maybe a splash of lemon juice and a little zest, and you'll have a flavorful yogurt sauce for your sweet potatoes with little effort.