Malanga

Mmmm....malanga.  I can't decide if it's delicious, or just delicious to say. Come on, it's so fun: "Malanga, malanga, malanga."

I hear people confuse it with taro--which you can also get here, but they are different. Malanga, of course, being superior due to it's awesome pronunciation. If you want to know lots of important sciencey-type facts about malanga, look here. If you want the cliff's notes version: it tastes like a purplish nutty-ish potato. Pretend it's a potato if you want--it'll be fine.

here's what it looks like

check out those purple stripes. 

cut off all the brown hairy part

chop it up--be sure to admire purple stripes again

this weird sticky starchy residue is hard to wash off

amazingly, though it looks tough, it boils faster than potatoes

strain. it will begin to mash itself

whip it up with some butter. thanks Haughts for the awesome whipper!

yum. serve your lavender side dish with chicken of course

And the best part? You get to say "malanga" when somebody asks what's for dinner!