Funny thing is, if you looked in our liquor cabinet, you would find all sorts of wonderful things to drink—vermouth, marsala, madeira, rum, calvados, JD, Maker’s Mark—yet nobody in our family actually drinks anything beyond an occasional glass of wine or beer. Or maybe a small glass of sherry or port. All those high octane bottles are for use in cooking, including the bourbon. I love the taste of bourbon, with its slightly smoky edge. But I’m a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, so only use it for flavoring something wonderful, like chocolate bourbon cake, a New Orleans bread pudding, or these sweet potatoes.
Don’t Skip the Bourbon
For those of you who avoid alcohol in cooking, I’m afraid this recipe is not for you. Obviously you can easily make the mashed sweet potatoes without the bourbon; it will be great, just add some nutmeg and cinnamon to spice it up a bit. I did experiment with reducing the alcohol content in this recipe by boiling the bourbon first to accelerate the evaporation, but while the alcohol was reduced, so was the taste of the bourbon. So if you want the wonderful note that the bourbon provides, you’ll just have to add it as is.
The Best Sweet Potatoes to Use
Look for garnet sweet potatoes for this recipe. These sweet potatoes have a reddish-brown skin and bright orange flesh. They cook quickly, mash easily, and have a pleasantly sweet flavor.
How Long to Boil Sweet Potatoes
For these mashed sweet potatoes, peel the potatoes, cut them into large cubes, and then boil them until tender. This should take roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
What to Do With Leftover Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Leftover mashed sweet potatoes will keep for about 5 days in the fridge. They can be reheated on their own for an easy weeknight side, or use them to top a shepherd’s pie, fry them into thin potato pancakes, or mix them into a lightly boozy version of our sweet potato waffles.
More Favorite Holiday Side Dishes
Creamed Spinach with Bacon Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Butter Green Bean Casserole from Scratch Crispy Hasselback Potatoes Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze
Add the bourbon and the butter to the pot and stir. Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and stir. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add more salt, bourbon, butter, and brown sugar to taste.
