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With brown butter, garlic, maple syrup, bacon and fresh sage, this slow cooker mashed sweet potatoes recipe is the perfect side dish for the holidays. They are so easy and so good!
I love the holidays. More importantly I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my favorite holiday and it's because of two reasons - being with family and food! I mean I have a food blog for a reason.
I know everyone has their go-to sides for Thanksgiving and I'm no different. While it's tough to top some good old-fashioned cheddar mac and cheese or cream cheese mashed potatoes, this mashed sweet potatoes recipe is right up there..
Over the years I had tried different sweet potato recipes. I know the traditional side is a sweet potato casserole. But honestly they are too sweet for me. To me sweet potatoes don't need more sugar as they're sweet on their own.
Then I randomly made a brown butter sweet potato risotto that was out of this world. When Thanksgiving came, I figured why not try a version of that with mashed sweet potatoes. Ever since then, these have been a staple for our house. Give this mashed sweet potatoes recipe a try and you will feel the same way.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes - the star of the show.
- Bacon - added texture and flavor.
- Unsalted butter - browning the butter gives great flavor.
- Garlic and sage - adds flavor.
- Maple syrup - adds sweetness.
- Salt and black pepper - enhances the flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add chopped sweet potatoes to slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- With 30 minutes left, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Drain the excess fat and transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate.
- Melt butter in same skillet and cook until starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic and sage and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Using potato masher, mash sweet potatoes until desired consistency.
- Stir in browned butter, maple syrup, salt, pepper and bacon. Serve immediately.
Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are super popular these days and there is good reason for it. Some of the health benefits of sweet potatoes include:
- Great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Promotes gut health.
- Regulates blood pressure and sugar levels.
- Helps with keeping healthy vision.
- May improve brain function.
Oven Option
This mashed sweet potatoes recipe works just as well in the oven. I just like to make these in the slow cooker as most of my other recipes during Thanksgiving are using the oven and stove top. If you want to use the oven, preheat to 400°F. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side down on sheet pan.
Roast for 35-40 minutes or until you can easy squeeze the sweet potato so it would fall out of skin. Once cooked, remove skin and place in large mixing bowl before adding the rest of the ingredients.
FAQs
Yes the rest of the flavors will work just as well with russet potatoes. Half Baked Harvest has a great recipe that is similar with her butter herbed mashed potatoes.
I always go with fresh herbs if possible however you can use 1 tsp dried sage if you can't get fresh.
Honey works as well or dark brown sugar. You can use the same amount for either - 3 tbsp.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You know the sweet potatoes are done when you can easily stick a fork or knife through the center of the potatoes.
- If you don't want to use a pan, you can place bacon on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- You will know the brown butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma and there are lightly browned specks on the bottom of the pan.
Other Side Dish Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Corn Pudding
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Butternut Squash Fritters
- Homemade Cheddar Pierogies
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
If you’ve tried this slow cooker mashed sweet potatoes recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
- ½ lb bacon, chopped
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (¾ cup)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add chopped sweet potatoes to slow cooker and cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- With 30 minutes left, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Drain the excess fat and transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate.
- Melt butter in same skillet and cook until starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and sage and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Using potato masher, mash sweet potatoes until desired consistency. Stir in browned butter, maple syrup, salt, pepper and bacon. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You know the sweet potatoes are done when you can easily stick a fork or knife through the center of the potatoes.
- If you don't want to use a pan, you can place bacon on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- You will know the brown butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma and there are lightly browned specks on the bottom of the pan.
Chris says
Big fan of brown butter!