Sweet potatoes and yams make a welcome appearance on the holiday table. Most markets sell two sweet potato varieties: moist and dry. The moist sweet potato variety, a reddish-brown, moist sweet potato is often labeled a yam. And now you can find sweet purple potatoes that are equally delicious. I prefer either the reddish-brown or sweet purple potato for holiday cooking to the drier kind with light brownish-yellow skin and pale flesh that is decidedly less sweet. Here are two great recipes that highlight the sweet orange potatoes' special flavor and texture.

Sweet Potato Towers with Smoked Chili and Chive Cream are by far the simplest way to go if you want an easy and tasty recipe. I rely on these little orange or purple nuggets year-round when I have little time but want to add a burst of color to the plate. If you want a simpler version, just garnish each tower with creme fraiche or sour cream and chives.

If you're looking for a sweet potato casserole, consider this Spiced Sweet Potato Souffle Pudding. During the holidays, people seem to gravitate toward the familiar no matter how adventurous they are in their eating habits during the rest of the year. I find myself at odds with my family each year as I try to suggest an alternative to sweet potatoes with marshmallows. This has been my only success.

With its creamy interior and sweet, crunchy topping, this souffle pudding presents a slight culinary dilemma: Is it a side dish or dessert? It calls for amaretti, a kind of cookie by Lazzaroni. You can find them wrapped two to a package at Italian delicatessens. If they aren't available, substitute gingersnaps. A 2-quart soufflé dish makes a pretty presentation.

Help is on the Way:

--Select firm unblemished reddish orange sweet potatoes (sometimes called yams) or sweet purple potato

--Use a serrated peeler for ease in peeling

--The Sweet Potato Towers can be baked ahead and reheated just before serving.

--The chili cream can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.

--The Souffle Pudding can be prepared up to 1 day ahead through step 2 and refrigerated. The topping can be covered and kept at room temperature. Bring the potatoes to room temperature before continuing.

Sweet Potato Towers with Smoked Chili and Chive Cream

Serves 6 to 8.

2 pounds evenly sized and shaped reddish brown sweet potatoes (yams) (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 teaspoons oil

2 tablespoons Smoked Chili and Chive Cream (see below)

2 teaspoons chopped chives, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 4000F. Wash yams and rub lightly with oil.

2. Place yams on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Prick the skin of each yam and return to the oven for 30 minutes more or until tender.

3. Remove pointed ends of yams and slice crosswise into 2-inch thick slices.

4. Lay slices flat on platter and garnish each with 1 teaspoon Smoked Chile Cream and 1/4 teaspoon chives. Serve 1 or 2 slices per person, depending on the thickness of the yams. Serve immediately.

Note: This can be doubled or tripled, if necessary.

Advance Preparation: This can be made through step 3 one day ahead, placed on a baking sheet, covered and refrigerated. Reheat the yams in a preheated 350 F oven for 10 to 5 minutes or until heated through. Transfer to a platter and continue.

Smoked Chili and Chive Cream

1 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco Sauce, or to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Salt

1. Combine the ingredients together in a small bowl and season to taste with salt.

2. Refrigerate until serving.

Advance Preparation: This may be prepared 2 days ahead, covered and stored in the refrigerator.

Spiced Sweet Potato Souffle Pudding

Serves 8 to 12.

Topping:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped blanched slivered almonds

10 amaretti cookies, crumbled (5 packages of 2)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Pudding:

4 medium reddish-brown sweet potatoes (yams), about 2 pounds, to make 4 cups puree

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons finely chopped orange zest

4 large egg yolks

5 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. For the topping, preheat the oven to 350 F and toast the almonds on a baking sheet for 7 to 10 minutes or until brown. Combine the toasted almonds with the cookie crumbs and brown sugar. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wrap each sweet potato in foil, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until very soft. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 F (or turn the oven off if you're preparing this ahead). Cool and spoon the pulp into a medium mixing bowl, measuring out 4 cups. Add the half-and-half, melted butter, orange juice, brown sugar, marmalade, all of the spices and the orange zest, and mix with an electric mixer on low speed. Slowly add the egg yolks, incorporating one at a time.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy and then add the salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the potato mixture carefully, making sure no streaks remain. Spoon the mixture into a greased deep 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the potato mixture evenly. Dot with cut-up butter.

4. Bake the pudding in a 350 F oven for 1 1/4 hours. When puffed and browned, remove it from the oven and serve immediately.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)