Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes - made April 24, 2015 from Table for Two

I love sweet potatoes. Being a plain eater, it should come as no surprise that my favorite way to eat them is….plain. Boiled, baked or fried, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s just me and the sweet potato.

Once in awhile, I try out a recipe to “add stuff” to them. As is the case with these mashed sweet potatoes. It seemed harmless enough as the ingredients being added and the way the sweet potatoes are prepared was no different than making regular (starchy) white potatoes – add butter and milk and mash the heck out of them. Sweet potatoes are even better than white potatoes (to me) so this should be even better given that treatment, right?

Wrong. This was okay, don’t get me wrong but sweet potatoes already have so much flavor on their own that I felt adding the milk and butter was unnecessary and detracted from the pure sweet potato flavor since now you also tasted the butter while the milk diluted the sweet potato. I have nothing against butter, you know of my love for butter. Just not with my sweet potatoes. 

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup half and half or whole milk
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1. Bring a pot of water to boil then add the sweet potatoes. Boil until fork tender.
2. Drain the sweet potatoes then place in a large bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the potatoes to desired consistency. 
3. Stir in the butter, half and half or milk and salt and beat until combined. Serve warm.