Name: Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch (12-mm) thick rounds; Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (2 oz), plus more for the baking dish; 1/2 cup bourbon; 2 tablespoons sorghum or maple syrup

Jump to recipe

This recipe for bourbon sweet potatoes drowns the potatoes in butter, brown sugar, bourbon, and maple syrup. A great Thanksgiving side. Best of all? It’s only 279 calories!

A white baking dish filled with slices of cooked sweet potato

Adapted from Virginia Willis | Bon Appétit, Y’All | Ten Speed Press, 2008

Bourbon sweet potatoes? Believe it. The boozy side dish everyone at your table is going to be clamoring for is pretty much diametrically opposed to that sweet and innocent marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole of your childhood. And we love both for very different reasons even though they share the common trait of copious amounts of butter and sugar. In the words of author Virginia Willis, “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.” All we can say is these are our kind of vegetables. Originally published November 14, 2011.–Renee Schettler Rossi

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Quick Glance
(9)
10 M
1 H
Serves 4 to 6

4.9/5 - 9 reviews

Print Recipe

Want it? Click it.

Ingredients

4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch (12-mm) thick rounds
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (2 oz), plus more for the baking dish
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons sorghum or maple syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter an ovenproof gratin or casserole dish.

Arrange the sweet potato slices in the prepared baking dish and season generously with salt and pepper.

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.

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.

Print Recipe

Want it? Click it.

Show Nutrition

Recipe Testers' Reviews

Anna Scott

Bourbon! Sweet potatoes! Need I say more? I’ve been pleased with all of Virginia Willis’s recipes from this great cookbook, but this one really turned heads…and noses. The smell of sweet potatoes baking in the bourbon mixture was delightful. This was a great side dish for a curry-spiced chicken and okra dish we made for some friends this weekend. This comment should tell you a lot: one of our friends who came over for dinner doesn’t even usually like sweet potatoes, but he practically rushed back over to the oven for seconds of these! In terms of the recipe itself, I made this dish in a casserole dish to try and keep the potatoes in one layer. That made it easier to baste and rotate the potatoes throughout the cooking time.My potatoes were cooked at the 45-minute mark instead of the 60-minute mark. I loved this easy recipe and would love to try it again with some pecans or walnuts sprinkled on top!

Julie T.

Sweet potato yummy heaven! Make this for Thanksgiving, Superbowl Sunday, and every other fall/winter special occasion!

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Comments

Ivana Gaillard says:

Nov 22, 2020 at 1:44 pm

I’m planning to try this recipe for Thanksgiving and am wondering if the sauce becomes syrupy? I’m hoping the answer is yes! It certainly sounds delicious!!

1. Angie Zoobkoff, LC Managing Editor says:
  
  Nov 22, 2020 at 2:16 pm
  
  Ivana, the sugar in the sauce will cause it to become syrupy. One of our testers described it as a ‘rich, buttery glaze’. Do let us know how it turns out for you!
  
Kathleen Dietz says:

Nov 20, 2020 at 7:43 pm

What brand of Bourbon did you use? Or Bourbon suggestions

1. Angie Zoobkoff, LC Managing Editor says:
  
  Nov 21, 2020 at 10:29 am
  
  Kathleen, you should choose a bourbon that you enjoy the flavors of, but you don’t need to break the bank for it. Maker’s Mark or Knob Creek are good well-rounded bourbons that will work nicely here, but feel free to use what you have on hand or like best. Do let us know how they turn out.
  
Randy W. says:

May 03, 2020 at 10:33 am

My wife didn’t care for sweet potatoes until I made this, she loved it! I have made this quite a few times. We have a family reunion tonight and I am making this to bring.

1. Angie Zoobkoff, LC Managing Editor says:
  
  May 03, 2020 at 9:30 pm
  
  Fantastic, Randy. Do let us know what everyone thinks about the dish!
  
Tiffany S. says:

Apr 03, 2020 at 10:29 am

These turned out great! A lot of sweet potato recipes come loaded with too much extra sweetness. This recipe had plenty of sweetness without being overbearing and also had a great kick.

1. Angie Zoobkoff, LC Managing Editor says:
  
  Apr 03, 2020 at 9:29 pm
  
  Thanks, Tiffany! We’re so glad you enjoyed them.
  
Angee P. says:

Mar 03, 2020 at 10:26 am

Love sweet potatoes done this way! They were absolutely delicious 😋 it definitely was the recipe, but it didn’t hurt that the bourbon was supplied by my brother who owns a bar and decided 100 proof was the way to go. I had to cut back on that amount…but boy oh boy, the sweet potatoes were yummy…and I slept well that night 😂

1. Angie Zoobkoff, LC Managing Editor says:
  
  Mar 03, 2020 at 9:27 pm
  
  Laughs. I’ll bet you did, Angee!