I mentioned this dish briefly during a Thanksgiving holiday post last year.  I really liked it and so did the guests who tried it.  So, I decided to make it for Christmas with my family in Dallas.  It was a hit with that crowd too!  I really love this little side dish…it’s pretty easy, very, very flavorful, and is different and a little more ‘adult’ than the usual candied sweet potatoes that find their way onto holiday menus.  So, here’s a quick and easy recipe that will be sure to please your family and friends.

PS:  The taste of the brown butter and sage really comes through.  Add a bit of heat from the red pepper flakes to balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, and you have a sweet and spicy side dish balanced with the earthiness of the sage and brown butter.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4-5 Sweet Potatoes

1 Stick Butter (unsalted)

1 Bunch fresh sage

Salt and Red Pepper Flakes

3 Tablespoons olive oil (if needed)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take sweet potatoes and using a fork, puncture sweet potatoes in several places.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place sweet potatoes on lined baking sheet.  Roast for about an hour (could be an hour and a half depending on size), until sweet potatoes are cooked through and caramelized.
• Remove sweet potatoes from oven when done and set aside to cool.  Once cool, using your hands, remove the skin from the potatoes.  This should be rather easy and they should slide right off.
• Once skinned, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or masher until completely mashed and there are no lumps.  If they do not become silky smooth, add the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach a smooth consistency.  Add salt and a touch of red pepper flake to taste.
• Heat a medium sized skillet on medium heat for a minute or two.  In the meantime, take the sage and remove the leaves from the stems.  Reserve the leaves and throw the stems and the butter in the preheated skillet.
• Allow the butter to melt with the sage stems.  Once melted, stir the butter pretty often until the butter reaches the browned stage.  (Once the butter melts, it will take a bit of time for it to brown.  You will notice that the butter/milk solids separate from the oil, then the whole thing will get a bit foamy.  Once at this foamy stage, you are almost done.  Start to watch the butter and milk solids turn brown and begin to smell nutty.  As you are stirring the browned butter, look to see if the milk solids have turned brown and you notice a distinct change in smell.  At this point, remove the butter from the heat.)
• Remove the sage stems from the brown butter and then pour the brown butter into the sweet potatoes.  Mix thoroughly.  Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt, more chopped sage, etc.
• Rough chop the reserved sage leaves and sprinkle some into the sweet potatoes.  Stir to incorporate.
• Place sweet potatoes into oven proof bowl.  Level out the mixture as best you can and then sprinkle more chopped sage leaves over the top.  Sprinkle a good amount of red pepper flakes (or less if you prefer things less spicy) over the top.
• Serve while warm.  This can be made ahead (a day or two).  If you do that, simply preheat an oven to 325 or so and gently rewarm the potatoes in the oven until they are heated through, about 20-30 minutes.