So I have a confession to make: up until I made Sara’s Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes, I was not a big fan of the big orange spud. It wasn’t until I made those and until all the cool kids started eating sweet potato fries when I realized that a) I didn’t hate sweet potatoes and b) that I largely prefer mine to be savory instead of sweet. Don’t get me wrong–those candied coconut sweet potatoes are to DIE for and I love them. But mashed up canned sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows and cinnamon? Meh. I’d rather have mashed potatoes and gravy.
So I started toying with the idea of making savory sweet potatoes for my Thanksgiving table this year and flavor ideas were kind of bouncing around in my brain, but I couldn’t quite get it right. And then a few weeks ago, one of our readers named Holly commented that one of her must-haves on her Thanksgiving table was chipotle cream sweet potatoes. And that was it–what I wanted–what I’d been waiting my whole life a few weeks for. Even though I haven’t had a chance to make her recipe yet, I have to give Holly a shout-out for putting my life in order.
You’re going to need about 5 pounds of sweet potatoes (just weigh them out in the grocery store or on a kitchen scale; because of the drastic varieties in size, it’s too hard tell you how many to get), butter, buttermilk, canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, 2 HEADS (not cloves; you want the whole shebang here) of garlic. You’ll also want plenty of olive oil and kosher salt handy.
To get started, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 425. Cut the tops off the bulbs of garlic.
Tear a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to tightly wrap both the bulbs of garlic and place them, cut side up, on top of the foil and drizzle each of them with about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Wrap tightly with foil and place them, cut side up, into the heated oven. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes. If you happen to have the oven going for other Thanksgiving-y things, just pop these in with them; if the temperature is lower, you’ll just have to extend the roasting time to about an hour. Just keep an eye (and a nose) on things; when it smells amazing and the garlic is soft, it’s ready.
As the garlic is finishing up, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces that are roughly the same size.
Boil the sweet potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Yeah, that white stuff coming off my sweet potatoes is steam. They’re hot. So don’t worry about softening the butter or anything.
When the garlic is done roasting, unwrap it and allow it to cool for a few minutes
and then carefully squeeze it into the sweet potatoes, picking out any of the skins. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and about 2-3 tablespoons of adobo sauce. With the wire whip attachment (or with a handheld electric mixer), mix until the potatoes break down and the butter melts. Test and add salt and adobo sauce to taste; I’d give specific measurements here, but this is going to be largely personal–some of you may end up adding all the adobo sauce or even a chili or two whereas for others, 2-3 tablespoons will be plenty (it will add a nice, smokey flavor and a tiny, tiny bit of spice).
When the seasonings are about right, add enough buttermilk to reach the desired consistency. Again, this will be super personal; some people like their whipped potatoes smooth as silk and other others like them lumpy. When you have the consistency you want, taste them again for salt and spiciness and add more adobo sauce and/or salt taste.
Here’s the best part: you can serve these now or you can transfer them to a baking dish and cover with foil for up to 2-3 days. When you’re ready to serve them, pop them (covered) into an oven heated to 425 degrees for about 1/2 hour. Or you could zap them in the microwave (sans foil, unless you want to set your house on fire, then YES, FOIL).
These are perfect for Thanksgiving, but they’re also great year-round–they’re a great alternative to mashed or baked potatoes, fries, or chips (and you can even cut down a little on the butter if you’re watching calories, although when it boils down to it, 4 tablespoons of butter for a giant bowl of sweet potatoes really isn’t too bad). Makes 12-14 servings.
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Roasted Garlic Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Description
Chipotle and garlic put a delightfully refreshing spin on sweet potatoes.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds fresh sweet potatoes
- 2 heads garlic
- 3–4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Buttermilk (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
- Adobo sauce from chipotle chilies (and some chilies if you want some extra heat)
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425. Cut the tops off the bulbs of garlic. Tear a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to tightly wrap both the bulbs of garlic and place them, cut side up, on top of the foil and drizzle each of them with about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Wrap tightly with foil and place them, cut side up, into the heated oven. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes. If you happen to have the oven going for other Thanksgiving-y things, just pop these in with them; if the temperature is lower, you’ll just have to extend the roasting time to about an hour. Just keep an eye (and a nose) on things; when it smells amazing and the garlic is soft, it’s ready.
- As the garlic is finishing up, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces that are roughly the same size. Boil the sweet potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- When the garlic is done roasting, unwrap it and allow it to cool for a few minutes and then carefully squeeze it into the sweet potatoes, picking out any of the skins. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and about 2-3 tablespoons of adobo sauce. With the wire whip attachment (or with a handheld electric mixer), mix until the potatoes break down and the butter melts. Test and add salt and adobo sauce to taste; I’d give specific measurements here, but this is going to be largely personal–some of you may end up adding all the adobo sauce or even a chili or two whereas for others, 2-3 tablespoons will be plenty (it will add a nice, smokey flavor and a tiny, tiny bit of spice).
- When the seasonings are about right, add enough buttermilk to reach the desired consistency. Again, this will be super personal; some people like their whipped potatoes smooth as silk and other others like them lumpy. When you have the consistency you want, taste them again for salt and spiciness and add more adobo sauce and/or salt taste.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil for up to 2-3 days. When you’re ready to serve them, pop them (covered) into an oven heated to 425 degrees for about 1/2 hour. Or you could zap them in the microwave, but I’m not sure how long.
Notes
- Serve with holiday meals or as a side dish for sandwiches, steaks, or roasts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
