Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes meet Sweet Potato Casserole in my Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes! A delicious savory/sweet mash up that pops off the plate with nutty brown butter, smoky bourbon, and a hint of vanilla bean. A dish that does double duty for Thanksgiving! Read below for more on my Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes!

Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ever since I was a kid, my very favorite part of any big family meal like Thanksgiving was 100% the mashed potatoes. I mean, I think there were years where I didn’t eat anything besides turkey and mashed potatoes. Well and probably stuffing. I’m from Lancaster, Pennsylvania–we’re not afraid of carbs.

But I never liked anyone to mess with the mashed potatoes. They needed to be really as straightforward as possible. Butter, cream, salt–that’s about it. And they were always mashed within an inch of their life.

As an adult, I’ve finally embraced all the different ways to make mashed potatoes amazing! My favorite is the addition of cream cheese–it has to happen.

When I sat down to write my Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, I knew I wanted a mashed potato–it’s not Thanksgiving without them. But I have friends who just can’t enjoy Thanksgiving without a sweet potato casserole, preferably with mini marshmallows. When you’re cooking for a smaller group, it’s important to edit yourself when it comes to how many dishes you’ll make. Otherwise you’ll have so much food, have spent the whole day in the kitchen, and you’re eating leftovers for weeks!

So to solve this problem, I decided to only make one potato dish and find a way to combine my love of mashed potatoes and some of the ideas behind a sweet potato casserole. And that’s how Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes came to be!

These have the general idea of the mashed potatoes with the butter, cream, and salt. But I’ve upgraded those add ins for maximum flavor. Sweet potato dishes can be too sweet, in my opinion, so I kept these on the savory side but still added in nutty brown butter and a hint of vanilla. The addition of bourbon (or maple syrup) is what gives these sweet potatoes that real casserole nod and makes them extra special.

These Mashed Sweet Potatoes look so inviting on the plate. I love that rich orange color, and even I can agree it’s more appealing than regular mashed potatoes.

These mashed sweet potatoes are also incredibly versatile and work outside the holiday season. I like them alongside my Chicken with Bacon, Shallots, and White Wine as part of my Elegant Date Night Dinner at Home Menu. They make the perfect transition from winter to spring.

Here’s how I make my mashed sweet potatoes!

How I Make My Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These Mashed Sweet Potatoes are simple, elegant, vibrant in color, and absolutely packed with flavor! They’re a quadruple threat!

Start them by peeling 3 sweet potatoes and cubing them. Place the cubes in a large pot. Add cold water to the pot so that the potatoes are covered. Then turn on the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, let it go for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. This is probably the most important step as the potatoes have to be soft enough on the fork so that they can be mashed. You don’t want to be fighting them later, so make sure the fork can be inserted easily!

While the potatoes are boiling, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Let the butter keep cooking past the point that the butter is melted and until brown bits begin to appear. This is one of those situations where your nose will know it’s ready before your eyes. Once it starts smelling nutty, turn off the heat.

Drain the sweet potatoes and return to the pot. Add in the rest of the ingredients! Brown butter, bourbon, vanilla bean paste, and heavy cream or milk. If you’d prefer to replace the bourbon with maple syrup, that will be delicious as well. Seriously–hard to mess up mashed potatoes when it’s nothing but yummy ingredients mashed together.

Go ahead and mash the potatoes with all the good stuff! I like the potatoes to be a bit chunky, to have a little texture. If you prefer something smooth, rice the potatoes before mashing them with the good stuff.

Make sure you season these with salt and pepper. Potatoes always need more salt than you think–don’t be afraid to add some salt then taste and add more until they’re properly seasoned.

That’s it! Add those gorgeous sweet potatoes to your Thanksgiving spread and try not to lick the bowl!

Romance Recipe Pairing

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a classic and you kind of can’t go wrong with her books–they’re all great! So I’m pairing my Brown Butter Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes with her terrific latest book, Atmosphere! They’re both out of this world.