25 November, 2015

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Posted in : Sides & Appetizers, Vegetarian on November 25, 2015 by : wendland99

Ref : The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Serious Eats

 

THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN:
The Food Lab: For the Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Use Science, Not Sugar
Have you ever wondered why sweet potatoes are so darn insecure? It’s time to say good bye to the days of sweet potatoes having to hide behind a mask of sugar and bolted-on marshmallows. What we have here is a technique for making mashed sweet potatoes that are so sweet, rich, and packed with sweet potato flavor, they need only the simplest of embellishments to shine.

Why this recipe works:

Browning butter packs in tons of flavor without dulling the sweet potatoes.
Slow-roasting the sweet potatoes activates endogenous enzymes that make bring out their natural sweetness.
A touch of maple syrup and a bit of chopped thyme is the only embellishment these naturally sweet sweet potatoes need.
Note: Sweet potatoes can be made even sweeter by pre-treating them in a water bath to activate their enzymes. To do this with a sous vide-style circulator, set your circulator for 150°F. Place the sweet potatoes in the water bath and let circulate for 2 to 4 hours before proceeding with recipe. To do with a beer cooler, fill your cooler with water at 170 to 175°F. Add the potatoes, cover, and let rest for 2 to 4 hours before proceeding.

To make ahead: Sweet potatoes can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To store and reheat, transfer sweet potatoes to a heavy duty zipper-lock bag with the air pressed out. Reheat by completely submerging zipper-lock bag in a pot full of hot (not boiling) water, removing the bag occasionally to squeeze contents around until fully reheated. About 30 minutes. I reheat mine with a sous vide-style circulator set at 150°F.

• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
  Rimmed baking sheet
  READING OPTIONS: COOKING MODE
  INGREDIENTS
  4 pounds moist sweet potatoes such as ruby or garnet yams (about 4 large potatoes, see note above)
  8 sprigs thyme, divided
  6 tablespoons butter
  Kosher salt
  1/4 cup maple syrup
  DIRECTIONS
  1.
  Adjust oven rack to center position. Place two large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Working one sheet at a time, place half of potatoes in center along with 3 sprigs of thyme. Fold up foil and crimp edges to seal tightly. Repeat with other half of potatoes. Transfer pouches to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Set oven to 300°F. Roast until a thin skewer inserted into the potatoes shows no resistance, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

2.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling gently until particles are pale golden brown and smell nutty. Immediately transfer to a large bowl or the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add maple syrup. Pick leaves off of remaining 2 thyme sprigs, roughly chop, and add to bowl.

3.
Peel sweet potatoes and discard skins. Add flesh to bowl with butter and syrup. Beat with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve. See note above for make-ahead suggestions.