I think the 2 biggest hits of the savory side of Thanksgiving were the potatoes, both came out so great, and I was so glad. I think the potatoes are a huge part of the meal, and I've always kind of been obsessed with getting them exactly right. I think I've tried a new regular mashed recipe every year, and while they've been tasty in the past, they've been loaded with milk and butter and cheeses, twice baked, had bread crumbs on top, etc. This recipe from Real Food Daily is vegantastic, and there's no butter! I freaking love that.The other potato dish is a sweet potato mashed with bananas, and a brown sugar and pecan crumble on top. It's one we've been making for a few years, some years more successful than others. I think it was last year that I let myself be confused by the orange colored "yams" vs. the yellowish "sweet potatoes" at the store. I mean, wtf? I have googled this, heard explanations on the Food Network, and it still confuses me. Why are all sweet potato recipes made with the orangey colored veggies, but yet those are labeled as yams? Sigh. I digress. I skipped the name calling this year, and just bought the orange guys, because I knew that's what I needed, even though they weren't called "sweet potatoes." I made sure they were good and roasted, and I think that made all the difference. They were supremely sweet and smooth.
So let's break 'em down. I'll start with the garlicky mash from Real Food Daily. After dinner my sister commented on how much she liked them, but was sad because they must have been so bad for her, calorie wise. I was so pleased to tell her that they only additives to the dish was garlic, soymilk, S&P.
Garlicky Mash Potatoes
3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/4 cups plain soymilk
2 T olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine the potatoes and the garlic in a large saucepan, and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and boil over medium-low heat for 18 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain, then return the potatoes and garlic to the saucepan and mash until smooth. Mix in the soymilk, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
As much as I tried to force my oldest sister to try these sweet potatoes, I couldn't get her to do it. She has never liked sweet potatoes, and I have to agree. I'm not bananas about them in their traditional form. I love this recipe, and I love sweet potato fries, but I just don't like to eat them like I would a traditional baked potato. Everyone was raving about them, and I threatened to withhold dessert until she took a bite, but we let it slide... this year. :) Plus, that just meant more leftovers for Joe and I! can't complain about that.
Oh, and if you want to save on calories with a potato recipe, this isn't it. Choose the former.
Sweet Potato Mashed with Bananas
Tyler Florence
5 sweet potatoes, roasted (took me about 1.5 to roast)
4 bananas, unpeeled, roasted (about 10-15 minutes)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and roast your sweet potatoes. Add the bananas the last 10-15 minutes of roasting. They should be very soft. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Add the bananas. Add 1/2 cup butter and the honey to the mixture and whip with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spread into a pan (9x13ish is good).
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, and pecans. Add the remaining 1/2 cup butter to create a crumble using your hands, forks, or pastry blender. Spread this crumble over your potatoes and bake, 20 minutes.
You can make the potato mixture ahead of time and just keep it refrigerated. Then just make the crumble before you bake it, and bake a little longer - about 40 - 45 minutes, or until heated through.
