Sweet potatoes are often gussied up with pecan streusel or baked into a flaky pie crust for the holidays, but sometimes a simple mash is just as good. In this recipe whole sweet potatoes are baked rather than boiled, to keep them from getting waterlogged, then mashed with melted butter, cream, and maple syrup. Serve this tasty side for Thanksgiving with roasted turkey, or on a weeknight with roasted chicken or braised short ribs.
- Yield: 6 servings
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 15 mins, plus 1 hr 20 mins baking and cooling time
Ingredients (6)
- 4 pounds medium Garnet sweet potatoes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, place the sweet potatoes on it, and bake until knife-tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and set it aside until the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, about 20 minutes.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Scrape the flesh out with a spoon and transfer it to a large bowl; discard the skins. Using a potato masher, mash the flesh until smooth. Add the remaining measured ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
