Bourbon Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Bon Appétit, Y’All | Ten Speed Press, 2008

Only a Southerner, inheritor of the infamous Southern sweet tooth, would add massive quantities of butter and sugar to a sweet potatoes and still regard it as a vegetable. Add a shot of bourbon? No problem.–Virginia Willis

LC What She Said Note

We have nothing to add to what the insightful Virginia Willis just said. Well, nothing except, “Pass the potatoes, please.”

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons sorghum or maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter an ovenproof gratin or casserole dish.
2. Arrange the sweet potato slices in the prepared baking dish and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, bourbon, and syrup and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the sauce begins to boil, pour it over the sweet potatoes.
4. Bake the casserole, turning the sweet potatoes and spooning the liquid over the top occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Gratin from Pinch My Salt
Sweet Potato, Ricotta, and Arugula Flatbread from The Kitchn
Sweet Potato Souffle from Leite's Culinaria
Sweet Potato Tart Tatin from Leite's Culinaria