Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This easy mashed sweet potato recipe is simple and great for the holidays, but is also fantastic any other time of the year and is a great substitute for mashed potatoes. 

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The Lowdown on Simple Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed sweet potatoes have such a beautiful color and flavor. Sweet potato mash holds gravy and other sauces beautifully. 

Sweet Potatoes don't mash like regular potatoes.  Although they are smooth, they can have some strings that don't mash. However, sweet potatoes mash easily and stay creamy with no additional milk or liquids.

Not all sweet potatoes are the same.  Grab Garnet, Jewel or Beauregard sweet potatoes. These have a darker skin and an orange interior.

Make sure you don't grab Japanese sweet potatoes.  They are purplish on the outside and white on the inside.

Variations on Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I'm a sweet potato purist - they are sweet enough as is and I don't believe in sugaring them out, topping them with marshmallows (not hating on those that do!!), or smothering them in syrup for the most part.

Having said that, feel free to add your favorite flavorings to this basic and simple mashed sweet potatoes recipe. Some ideas are:

• cinnamon
• pumpkin pie spice
• brown sugar
• maple syrup
• curry powder
• fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme.

How To Make Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• Peel and largely chunk sweet potatoes into a medium size pot. 
• Add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes by 1 inch. 
• Add ½ teaspoon salt to pot. 
• Cover and bring to a boil. 
• Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook sweet potatoes ~ 15-18 minutes or until fork tender.
• Strain sweet potatoes and set aside. 
• Add 3 tablespoon butter and ½ teaspoon salt to the pot and melt. 
• Add sweet potatoes and mash 'em up. 
• Add salt and butter to taste.

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