Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus! Right down the dining room way! In his hands, a big ole bowl of Santa’s Mashed Sweet Potatoes! They’re creamy and caramel-sweet, with rich notes of butter and smoky brown sugar, plus warm cinnamon! The crumbles of succulent bacon offer a lovely balance to what’s already a winter wonderland of tastiness! Santa’s Mashed Sweet Potatoes are the perfect present to give your taste buds this year!
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2-inch chunks
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1/3 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- black pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –In a large pot of boiling water, add the sweet potatoes and the salt and boil, uncovered, until the potatoes can be easily pierced through with a fork, about 20-30 minutes.
Step 2 –Drain the potatoes well, then return them to the pot.
Step 3 –Let the sweet potatoes sit in the hot pot undisturbed, allowing any remaining water to evaporate.
Step 4 –Mash the sweet potatoes to your desired consistency.
Step 5 –In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 7-9 minutes.
Step 6 –Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
Step 7 –Once cool enough to handle, chop the bacon into small pieces.
Step 8 –In a microwave-safe dish, add the milk and the butter and microwave until the butter is melted.
Step 9 –Add the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon to the butter mixture and stir to combine.
Step 10 –Pour 1/2 of the butter mixture into the mashed potatoes and stir to combine.
Step 11 –Add more of the butter mixture to the sweet potatoes, a little at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. You may not need all of the butter mixture.
Step 12 –Add most of the bacon to the sweet potatoes and stir to combine, reserving a small protion of the bacon for garnish.
Step 13 –Season the mashed sweet potatoes with the salt and the pepper.
Step 14 –Serve the potatoes garnished with the reserved bacon and the extra cinnamon.
