Sweet, smooth and deliciously creamy mashed sweet potatoes topped with salty smokey bacon, you’ll never go back to plain old mashed sweet potatoes!
This recipe is all thanks to my husband. Let me start by saying he never ate sweet potatoes until his Opa made them. It doesn’t matter how I cooked them, for years he would turn up his nose. Then Opa made them and now he’s obsessed. We eat sweet potatoes on a regular basis now 🙂 Now I’m not sure if I add as much butter as Opa does, but I think my mashed sweet potatoes are pretty good. To make them even better, my husband sprinkled some leftover bacon(I know, what IS that?) on top of his leftover mashed sweet potatoes one day and this recipe was born. Really, it’s so delicious, you might not ever go back to plain mashed sweet potatoes.
Now I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of adding extra sweet to my sweet potatoes. Maybe a tiny amount of maple syrup just for that amazing maple flavor. Yes, I’m Canadian, why do you ask? 😉 But really, don’t put marshmallows on my sweet potatoes. I am a fan of the sweet and salty combo though, and this is a perfect example of that. Let me know how you like your sweet potatoes in the comments below – and it’s OK to say with marshmallows if that’s your thing 😉
- 1 large sweet potato about 1.5 lbs, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- Salt to taste,
- 2 slices thick cut naturally smoked bacon
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In a skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy.
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While the bacon is cooking, add the sweet potato to a small pot and enough water just to cover the bottom. Cover with a lid, place over medium heat and steam until sweet potato is extremely tender when pierced with a fork. The amount of time this will take depends on the size of the sweet potato pieces.
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Drain the liquid from the pot, but reserve to use later if needed. Add the butter and mash very well.
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When completely mashed add liquid as needed till the potatoes aren't dry and add a generous pinch of salt.
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When the bacon is done, crumble or chop into small pieces and sprinkle over the mashed sweet potatoes before serving.
This can be made ahead of time, even kept warm in the oven while waiting for other dishes to finish cooking, but add the bacon just before serving.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Your photos are GORGEOUS!! Please teach me your ways 🙂 I have been trying to shoot sweet potatoes for days and they looking nothing as good as yours 🙂 Also, bacon, best topping ever!!
Aw thanks Chelsea! I was going to say the same thing about your photos though, you don’t need to learn anything from me! Also, I must have asked my husband 100 times if the color was right on these sweet potatoes, haha. So difficult! Yes, best topping ever! ?
I love sweet potato shuffle. My mother put coconut, crushed pineapple, orange juice, and a pecan brown sugar topping on hers. IT was so wonderful. I ate it as a dessert. She never measured any eggs, milk, vanilla, etc. She just knew how much.
She also made a sweet potato pie that no one could beat. She had several restaurants in her life and was known for her pies.
Oh my, that does sound good! I’m not a fan of adding sweetness to my sweet potatoes when I’m eating them for dinner but for dessert, that sounds amazing! 🙂