Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Mascarpone Cheese | Recipe
A simple and healthy side dish featuring roasted sweet potatoes and mascarpone cheese.
When you are looking for an alternative side dish to old-fashioned mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes just may be the change of pace you're looking for. They pair perfectly alongside roasted meats, and are divine in the fall and winter months when comfort food cravings begin to take root and branch out through our hearts.
HOW TO COOK A SWEET POTATO
If you have never worked with sweet potatoes before, no need to fear. I've found, the best and most flavorful way to cook a sweet potato is to simply roast it. Roasting sweet potatoes enhances their natural and inherent sweetness, and deepens their flavor.
To roast a sweet potato, drizzle with a touch of olive or canola oil and rub it all over to coat. Then, transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and bake at 425° for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes look slightly "deflated," and are fork tender. From there, you would allow them to cool slightly, and like magic, the skins will peel right off!
MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH MASCARPONE CHEESE For this dish, roasting the potatoes makes your work load far less time consuming. After the potatoes have roasted, you peel the skins right off, and transfer them to a bowl and stir in the Mascarpone cheese. You'll notice as you stir in the creamy Mascarpone, the potatoes will almost mash them themselves. Side dishes just don't get much easier than this!
The Mascarpone cheese adds a creamy richness to the mashed sweet potatoes, and lends to them a buttery decadence, without having to enlist the use of any butter at all. Serve this alongside pork or roasted poultry, and some fresh greens for a splendidly well-rounded meal, and please, enjoy.
Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes)
1 tbsp canola oil
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425°
Place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and rub into skins. Bake for 40 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Cut a line down the center of the potatoes and turn over into a medium-sized mixing bowl. The flesh of the potatoes should easily fall right into bowl. Add to the potatoes the Mascarpone, lemon, butter, salt, ground ginger and pepper. Mash together with a potato masher, whisk or fork, and stir to combine. Serve and enjoy.
Makes 6 Servings
Would pair well with:
