Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Five Spice, Honey and Maple

Fall produce abounds at my local markets, leaving my head reeling with recipe ideas and the urge for more wintry fare.  These sweet potatoes were originally slated to be roasted with some other root vegetables, but I ended up trying this out to see if I could get my kids to eat something other than a regular potato with dinner.

I have an aversion to the standard candied yams served at most holiday tables, preferring something a bit more savory instead, but for this I thought that the combination of Five-Spice powder and coconut milk would give a nice flavor combination.  It did.  While there are things I will definitely change about this dish, it’s one that I will be visiting again while sweet potatoes are still on the shelves.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Five Spice, Honey and Maple

Ingredients:

• 2 large yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into pieces approximately 1-inch in size.  Place in a large pot with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer until tender (approximately 25 minutes.)  Drain water in a colander and return sweet potatoes to pot.

Add seasonings and butter.  Pour in approximately 1/2 of the coconut milk and mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher.  Add coconut milk a little at a time until the potatoes are at the desired consistency. (It’s a personal preference for most people, just get them as thick or as thin as you like.)

Spoon mix into 4 8-oz. ramekins or into a medium casserole.  Top with nuts and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top just begins to brown and pull away from the side of the dish.

Serve hot.

Share and Enjoy!

What I would have done Differently had I thought of it at the time:

I would have roasted the Sweet potatoes.  Boiling them just didn’t bring out the depth of flavor i was looking for in this dish.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe, from 101 Cookbooks
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Green Chilies, from Andrea’s Recipes
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes, from One Hot Stove