Okay, so I saw this thing online, some fancy cafe drink made with a purple root veggie. Looked kinda cool, a bit weird maybe? But I had a couple of purple sweet potatoes sitting in the kitchen, looking a bit sad, honestly. Thought, why not give it a try myself instead of just letting them go bad.
First things first, I grabbed one of those purple sweet potatoes. Gave it a good wash under the tap, scrubbed off any dirt. Then came the peeling part – always a bit messy, but gotta be done. The color inside was pretty vibrant, made me kinda hopeful.
Getting it soft was the next step. I decided steaming was the way to go. Chopped the potato into smaller chunks so it would cook faster. Popped them in my steamer basket over some boiling water. Had to wait a bit, maybe 20 minutes? Checked with a fork until they were really soft, like, fall-apart tender. You need them super soft to get a smooth blend later.
Once they were cooked, I let them cool down just a touch so I wouldn’t burn my fingers. Dumped the steamed chunks into a bowl. Then, the fun part – mashing! Just used a regular fork and mashed away until it was mostly smooth. It looked pretty intense, this deep purple mush.
Making the sweet purple base
It tasted okay on its own, but a bit plain, you know, earthy. So, I stirred in a splash of milk – I just used regular milk, but oat or almond would probably work too. Added a tiny bit of maple syrup because I like things a little sweet, but not too much. Mixed it all up until it was like a thick, smooth puree. The color lightened up a bit, more lavender now. Looked pretty nice.
Time to build the drink!
I got out a clear glass so I could see the layers. Spooned a good dollop of that purple sweet potato puree into the bottom. Maybe two tablespoons?
- Next, ice cubes. Filled the glass pretty much up with ice.
- Then, I slowly poured milk over the ice. Poured it slowly so it wouldn’t mix too much right away with the purple stuff at the bottom.
- I thought about adding coffee, like an iced latte, but decided to just try the sweet potato milk thing first. Keep it simple.
It looked pretty cool, actually. The purple layer at the bottom, then the white milk, nice separation. Gave it a gentle stir with a long spoon just before drinking.
Took a sip. Hmm. It was… interesting! Definitely tasted the sweet potato, that earthy sweetness, mixed with the creamy milk. It wasn’t bad at all. Quite smooth from the puree. The maple syrup was just right, not overpowering.
Honestly, it felt pretty satisfying making it myself instead of buying something similar. Was it mind-blowing? Maybe not, but it was tasty, looked fun, and I used up that sweet potato. I might try it again, maybe blend the puree even smoother next time, or try it with that shot of espresso I skipped. Yeah, pretty decent little experiment for the afternoon.
