Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe with Blue Cheese Breadcrumbs

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 1/4 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

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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 324kcal Calories from fat 88
% Daily Value
Total Fat 10g	15%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 19mg	6%
Sodium 615mg	26%
Carbohydrate 52g	17%
Dietary Fiber 7g	28%
Sugars 10g
Protein 8g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Serves Serves 6     adjust servings

Ingredients

The potatoes

• 3 lb. sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

The topping

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp (packed) Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

The potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Pierce each sweet potatoes several times. Place them on a baking sheet.
3. Bake the sweet until tender when pierced with a fork, 1 to 1¼ hours.
4. Let the potatoes rest until they are cool enough to handle. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp.
5. 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.
6. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a 8- by 8-inch baking dish.

The topping:

1. 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.
2. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve.

by From the kitchen of cookincanuck.com