Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes
These Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes have always been a favourite at our holiday table. Roasting the sweet potatoes first brings out their natural sweetness and creates a richer flavour before they’re mashed, then topped with a delicious buttery brown sugar topping and baked until caramelized. The result is a creamy, slightly sweet side dish that pairs beautifully with turkey, ham, or a simple Sunday dinner.
The Family Recipe No One Wrote Down
Although these sweet potatoes have always been served at our family holiday dinners, there was never a written recipe. Anywhere! When my Nana passed, my mom took over making them, and then when she passed, my aunt carried on the tradition. They just seemed to know exactly how to make them the way my Nan did.
I knew it would be impossible to recreate their recipe exactly (did anyone really measure anything back in the day?), but I wanted to honour the tradition. Having this dish on our holiday table makes us feel like they are still there celebrating with us.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Uses just 6 simple ingredients
- Ready in under an hour
- great for the holidays
- sweet potatoes can be roasted and mashed the day before
How This Recipe Is Made
Here’s how I create extra flavour in these Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- Roast the sweet potatoes with a little olive oil to bring out their natural sweetness and create a richer flavour.
- Make the brown sugar butter sauce by gently heating the ingredients together until thick and smooth.
- Bake until golden and bubbling so the flavours come together and the topping develops a delicious caramelized finish.
And if you happen to have leftovers, don’t let them go to waste! These sweet potatoes are delicious tucked served along side a loaded leftover turkey sandwiches. It’s like having Thanksgiving dinner all over again!
Ingredients You Will Need
- sweet potatoes or yams
- brown sugar
- butter
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
How To Make Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes – Step by Step
Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat, add salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until very soft and caramelized.
Transfer roasted potatoes to a large bowl and mash thoroughly, then transfer to a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray, pressing them down into the dish slightly. Add butter and brown sugar to sauce pan.
Over medium heat, cook butter and brown sugar until melted, then increase heat slightly, whisk and cook until mixture is well combined, thick and bubbly. Boil for about a minute, stirring constantly. Pour over prepared mashed sweet potatoes.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly, and brown sugar topping is beginning to brown and brûlée. Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.
Crispy Caramel Topping
Although my family’s favourite part will always be the buttery brown sugar topping, I think roasting the potatoes ramps up the sweetness and flavour of the sweet potatoes ensuring everyone gets the perfect bite!
The topping has just a bit of crunch but when you spoon it out of the dish, the sweet buttery goodness underneath trickles down through the sweet potatoes as you scoop.
Tips from My Kitchen
- I use a square 1 quart casserole dish, but if doubling recipe I recommend using a rectangle shaped dish to allow more surface of the potatoes to be covered with the topping
- be sure to toss sweet potatoes to fully coat with olive oil before roasting for a consistent caramelization
- don’t over crowd the baking sheet with sweet potatoes, and toss every 10 minutes during roasting – I find 30 minutes total roasting time the sweet spot
- mash the potatoes throughly, but do not add any milk or butter when mashing
Keeping Traditions Alive
As our holiday table has changed over the years, it’s recipes like this that keep our traditions alive. And, I’m not sure my brother would even attend if this wasn’t on the table!! He’s the first in line for seconds and to package up any leftovers to take home!
Even if this recipe isn’t exactly the same one my Nana made, it is still made with love, and the memories it brings to our family table are simply irreplaceable.
Let this be a little reminder to ask for those treasured family recipes while you still can. The dishes that appear on our holiday tables year after year often carry the stories and memories we cherish most.
Brown Sugar Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 casserole dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place cubed sweet potatoes on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 425℉ for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until soft and slightly caramelized. Remove from oven, carefully transfer to a large mixing bowl and mash thoroughly. Transfer to casserole dish and set aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400℉. Place butter and brown sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan, cook over medium heat until melted. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil, whisking often. Boil over medium heat for about a minute, while constantly stirring. Remove from heat and pour over mashed sweet potatoes.
- Bake at 400℉ for 20 to 30 minutes, until topping is bubbly, and starting to caramelize. Watch carefully after 20 minutes to make sure the topping does not burn. Remove from oven and cool for just a minute before serving.
Notes
