During holiday dinners it’s easy for the sweet potatoes to steal the show. In fact, there’s a good chance this delicacy will be the first dish to disappear from the table, whether they’re whipped with brown sugar and butter or sautéd for a more savory take. Shake up your traditional side dishes this year with one of these six recipes that offer you a new way to use sweet potatoes.
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
These oven-roasted, smashed Japanese sweet potatoes are hardly a sacrifice. Layers of flavors build up from the potato foundation to turmeric and chili and then the umami of crushed sheets of nori and a drizzle of ghee. They’re simply unforgettable!
Bistro Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
A great accompaniment to sweet potatoes is pecans with their salty, nutty flavor. This casserole will warm you through and through with smooth potatoes, sweet brown sugar, and an irresistible topping. It makes for a perfect side or even an entire meal.
Spiced Japanese Sweet Potato Pierogi
Spice up your holiday table with pierogis as a new side. You still get the sweet potatoes you know and love but in a new form. Purple Japanese sweet potatoes, red pepper flakes, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger fold in with gorgeous shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms.
Homemade Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas
Keep the international-inspired sides going with simple Sweet Potato Empanadas. Empanadas may sound like a challenge but this version allows for store-bought pie crust, making this crowd-pleaser as easy-as-pie.
Baby Yams with Maple Chipotle Compound Butter
This traditionally baked sweet potato impresses with an added kick. Baby yams fresh out of the oven go perfectly with sweet and spicy maple-chipotle compound butter. It’s a complimentary holiday side to any main dish.
Sweet Potato and Pork Belly Hash
This Sweet Potato and Pork Belly Hash is a homey side you may well find yourself serving again and again. The savory fattiness of pork belly infuses its goodness into the perfectly cooked sweet potato, setting the stage for a wonderful feast. Use this simple recipe as a last-minute addition to any meal.
Story by Kylie Thomas
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