Whether you're looking for a vegetarian side dish for your Thanksgiving table, or a comfort food recipe for a cold winter's night, mashed sweet potatoes seem to fit the bill. This low-fat version uses surprisingly little butter, and just a touch of non-fat milk, to achieve the creamy texture. A punch of flavor and texture comes in the form of a toasted breadcrumb topping, tossed with blue cheese and Parmesan.
I'll be honest, it's been a little challenging to think of writing blog posts while the east coast is being pummeled by Hurricane Sandy and people are losing homes, businesses and loved ones. The images splashed across the news and internet are harrowing. But that's not all we're seeing.
As often happens in the wake of disasters, stories of heroic acts and kindness are making their way onto the news...firefighters risking their lives to get families out of harm's way, dedicated medical workers carrying newborn babies down flights of darkened stairwells at NYU, people offering a bed to those who can't access their apartments. The depth of human kindness and generosity are heartening, and they renew my faith in humankind.
In an election year in the United States, when U.S. citizens are sitting on opposite sides of the ring, fists raised, ready to pummel each other until the last vote is cast, it is a relief to see that we can push that to the side as we remember that the people that need help are just that...people. Not Republicans, not Democrats...just fellow human beings.
My thoughts go out to all of those effected by the storm.
If you would like to help in the recovery efforts, either in person or by making a donation, be sure to check out this reference posted by The Daily Beast. Some of the donations are easy as sending a text.
Now, let's move on to the mashed sweet potatoes!
The recipe:
The potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Pierce each sweet potatoes several times. Place them on a baking sheet. Bake the sweet until tender when pierced with a fork, 1 to 1 ¼ hours.
Let the potatoes rest until they are cool enough to handle. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp.
Either run the potatoes with a food mill or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the butter and milk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a 8- by 8-inch baking dish.
The topping:
In a medium bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Toss until the breadcrumbs are moistened and the cheese are combined.
(If you don't have any panko breadcrumbs on hand, you can make your own regular breadcrumbs. See my post, How to Make Breadcrumbs: Plain, Whole Wheat & Seasoned.)
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve.
Other sweet potato recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Sweet Potato Hash with Canadian Bacon, Red Pepper & Sage
Cookin' Canuck's Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Pecan Streusel
Farmgirl Gourmet's Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes
The Perfect Pantry's Rosemary-Parmesan Sweet Potato Waffles
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
The Potatoes:
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup skim milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
The Topping:
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ ounces blue cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons packed Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
The Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pierce each sweet potatoes several times. Place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake the sweet until tender when pierced with a fork, 1 to 1¼ hours.
- Let the potatoes rest until they are cool enough to handle. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp.
- Either run the potatoes with a food mill or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the butter and milk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a 8- by 8-inch baking dish.
The Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Toss until the breadcrumbs are moistened and the cheese are combined.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
RiX
This recipe looks awesome but grating blue cheese is often tricky - here in the UK. Does anyone have any tips?
The problem is, we use mainly soft cheese, which is hard enough to slice never mind grate! It quickly ends up with a texture like mash! Parmesan is no problem..
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Loving those breadcrumbs, what a perfect side dish!
Kevin (Closet Cooking)
I am really liking the sound of the sweet potoato and blue cheese combo!
Lizthechef
Oh boy, I just found the new "side" I have been wanting for Thanksgiving this year.
Donna
You mean marshmallows aren't the ONLY thing you can use to top sweet potatoes? This looks like a flavor festival!
Kristen
Everything seems so irrelevant right now, doesn't it?
Thanks for sharing!
Julia {The Roasted Root}
I LOVE sweet potatoes and believe it or not, we typically consume them in some form every single day in my house. It's been a while since we've done a sweet potato mash and I love your idea of adding blue cheese and bread crumbs on top. Brilliant and definitely on my to-do list!
Becky at Vintage Mixer
These would be a great addition to our Thanksgiving table!! I'm pinning this to my Seasonal Thanksgiving pin board! Thanks for the recipe!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme
I've always loved sweet potatoes - so good for you! I'd have never thought of combining them with blue cheese but I can totally imagine how fantastic this combination is. Gotta try this out for Thanksgiving.
Aggie
Great post Dara. It takes a disaster sometimes to stop everyone in their tracks to think and act, and pull everyone together.
Awesome recipe. Really love the tipping on this one!
Betty
DITTO what Aggie posted.
Shelley
Just starting to harvest our sweet potatoes from the garden... ready to try this great sounding recipe!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
My husband would be ALL OVER this dish!!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
Dangit!!! Can you stop making perfect recipes? I literally have a chunk of blue cheese waiting for something delish.