WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Mashed sweet potatoes often appear on the table overdressed with seasonings and toppings. But these candied concoctions don’t hold a candle to an honest sweet potato mash in terms of flavor. With a deep, natural sweetness that doesn’t require much assistance, the humble sweet potato, we thought, would taste far better if prepared using only a modicum of ingredients. So we created this straightforward recipe to honor the sweet potato. We tried it with whole milk and with half-and- half, but a small amount of heavy cream, in combination with the butter, stole the show. For seasonings, we used just a little sugar, salt, and pepper; the various baking spices often added to mashed sweet potatoes were simply distracting. This is a silky puree with enough body to hold its shape while sitting on a fork, and it pushes this root vegetable’s deep, earthy flavor to the forefront, where it should be.
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cook potatoes, butter, cream, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Off heat, mash potatoes in the saucepan with a potato masher until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
VARIATIONS
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Coconut
- Substitute ½ cup coconut milk for butter and cream.
- Add 1 small minced garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to pot with potatoes.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro just before serving.
- Indian-Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Raisins and Cashews
- Substitute dark brown sugar for granulated sugar and add ¾ teaspoon garam masala to the saucepan along with sweet potatoes in step 1.
- Stir ¼ cup golden raisins and ¼ cup roasted unsalted cashews, chopped, into mashed sweet potatoes just before serving.
