Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange
These mashed sweet potatoes are a simple, crowd-pleasing fall side dish. They're silky smooth, flavored with orange and nutty brown butter, then topped with crunchy pecans. It's an easy recipe to make ahead and is perfect for Thanksgiving and holiday entertaining!
Servings: 8
Calories: 332kcal
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes or yams peeled and cubed
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice from 1-2 oranges depending on size
- 8 tablespoons butter 1 stick
- ⅓ cup pecans toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Add the cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Cover and bring up to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Drain and let the sweet potatoes steam in the colander to remove excess moisture.
- Transfer to a large bowl along with the salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and orange juice.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and cook for a few minutes until it foams up, then starts to turn brown and smell nutty.
- Add the browned butter to the sweet potatoes, being sure to scrape in all of the browned bits.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until totally smooth. Alternatively, you can puree in a food processor or use a potato masher for a slightly chunkier result. Taste and add more salt as needed.
- Transfer to a casserole dish or heat-proof bowl and smooth out the top.
- Sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans. Serve hot.
Notes
- Make sure your pecans are toasted to bring out their flavor. You can toast them in a pan with more brown butter and spoon that over top for an even more indulgent dish.
- It’s important to let the sweet potatoes steam in the colander after draining to remove excess moisture or else the dish can become watery.
- This can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until hot throughout. Sprinkle pecans on top right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 24505IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg
