Cravings: Sweet Potato

Tasty sweet potatoes are showing up at restaurants all over town—and not just in fry form

Tulio
The Sweet Potato Gnocchi is so addictive that executive chef Walter Pisano can’t take it off the menu (fans of the dish complain). The handmade dough is cut into pillows, sautéed in fresh sage and butter, and then topped with mascarpone cheese for a creamy balance. Open daily. Downtown, 1100 Fifth Ave.; 206.624.5500. $$

King’s Hardware
Keeping the skins on, the prep for the sweet potato fries at King’s Hardware is simple: cut ’em, fry ’em and season with a house-made blend of spices. Dunk them into a side order of chipotle mayo for the full delicious experience. Open daily. Ballard, 5225 Ballard Ave. NW; 206.782.0027. $

Willie’s Taste of Soul Bar-B-Que
The 6-inch Smooth Sweet Potato Pie includes  a handful of yummy ingredients (sweet potatoes, butter, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and one top secret ingredient), and it all comes together deliciously. Open daily. Mount Baker, 3427 Rainier Ave. S; 206.722.3229. $

Kisaku
Using Japanese satsumaimo sweet potatoes, chef Kazuo Sekiguchi creates a refreshing dessert with the Kisaku Sweet Potato Spring Roll. Filled with sweet potato cream and deep-fried, the rolls are accompanied by a dollop of sweet red bean paste and a scoop vanilla ice cream. Wed.–Mon.  Green Lake, 2101 N 55th St., Suite 100; 206.545.9050. $$

Pig Iron Bar-B-Q
Made in-house and seasoned with more than 13 different spices, these sweet potato fries eat like a meal. Served with a side of “slather”—a housemade mayo-based garlic sweet/spicy sauce—the fries are so tasty you won’t notice that conventional french fries aren’t even offered here. Mon.–Sat. Georgetown, 5602 First Ave. S; 206.768.1009. $