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    Home · Recipes · Side Dishes · Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

    October 31, 2017

    Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, featuring easy, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, chopped sage and honey walnuts.

    A clear serving bowl of Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Honey Walnuts sprinkled on top. In the background behind the bowl is a folded plaid napkin and a silver spoon lying next to the bowl.

    If you are looking for a fun, new fall side dish to feed a crowd, surely these mashed sweet potatoes are speaking your love language right now. I was hosting a pre-Thanksgiving party, and I was in need of a side dish to go alongside my roasted turkey that didn't require too much hands-on time, yet still prove worthy of an addition to a Thanksgiving spread.

    Now, I know traditionally we would be rocking a sweet potato casserole next to the turkey, and if you're in the market for one of those, I've got a stellar recipe for you right here.

    ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES

    But, for this meal, in particular, I was in need of a side dish a little less hands-on, and this recipe is exactly that. It begins with whole, roasted sweet potatoes. Roasting whole sweet potatoes could literally not get any easier: Scrub 'em down,  put them on a sheet pan, drizzle with a little canola oil and the preparation takes a whopping 5 minutes out of your day. Doesn't get much easier than that friends. Throw them in the oven at 400° and let them go for about an hour.

    While those potatoes are roasting and you've got all this free time on your hands, let's talk about all the ah-mazing and scrumptious flavor components that go into this recipe, and pair perfectly with our sweet potatoes. We will begin with goat cheese.

    An overhead shot of Mashed Sweet Potatoes sprinkled with Goat Cheese, walnuts, and fresh herbs. Lying next to the clear dish is a silver serving spoon.

    SWEET POTATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE

    Sweet potatoes are pretty one-dimensional in flavor. They're sweet. End of story. That story was so boring, right? Add a little goat cheese to the party, and boredom is officially a non-issue. Goat cheese is loud, tangy, and vibrant. Just what those potatoes needed -- a little wakeup call.

    The goat cheese is whipped together with heavy whipping cream, and one by one, the sweet potatoes go in to join in on all fun. The butteriness from the cream alongside the sharp notes of the goat cheese in combination with those roasted sweet potatoes -- goodness gracious, y'all -- I can already tell this is going to be one heck of a party.

    A honey spoon is being held of the clear dish full of the sweet potato recipe. In the background is a plaid napkin.

    On to the spices. To make these mashed sweet potatoes sing fall, we add in a few beloved spices that give us all those warm and cozy feels we love so much. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg go in. And, keeping in line of spices, let's talk fresh herbs.

    The next ingredient added to our mashed sweet potatoes is freshly chopped sage. I love sage. It's so pretty with its velvety feel and beautiful greenish-grey color. Fresh sage is extremely fragrant, loud in flavor and you'll find just a little bit can go quite a long way.

    Next, the honey walnuts. Everybody loves the honey walnuts. This one is a no-brainer. Now, I'm going to make mine from scratch, cause it takes like 10 minutes and I can control the salt this way. I like salty things, don't you? However, if you don't have it in you to sugar up some nuts on any given day, feel free to pick up a bag of candied walnuts from the grocery store, and if you can't find walnuts, pecans will sub in just fine. You could also skip the sugary stuff completely, and use plain chopped walnuts instead.

    A close up shot of sprinkled goat cheese, fresh herbs and walnuts sitting on top of the mashed sweet potatoes.

    In the end, this recipe for mashed sweet potatoes with goat cheese, sage, and honey walnuts was everything I needed it to be and more. Simple to assemble, only a small amount of hands-on time required, beautifully flavored and the perfectly suitable substitute for sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving day.

    Whether you are hosting a fall dinner party, creating a Thanksgiving menu of your own, or just looking for an exciting change of pace in the side dish department, this recipe is guaranteed to be a sweet potato crowd-pleaser. Please, enjoy.

    5 MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

    • Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows is the perfect substitution for Sweet Potato Souffle at the Thanksgiving table! How to make a gorgeous marshmallow topping, as well as tips for making your sweet potato casserole in advance!
    • Mashed Sweet Potatoes are an easy side dish featuring baked sweet potatoes mashed with creamy Mascarpone cheese.
    • Sweet Potato Wedges is an easy and delicious side dish recipe for sweet potatoes cut into wedges and seasoned with smoked paprika and roasted.
    • Sweet Potato Soufflé is a decadent show-stopper with a rich and creamy sweet potato base and a crunchy, buttery pecan streusel topping! A salty-sweet show-stopper that’ll have your Thanksgiving table swooning for more. 
    • Sweet Potato and Turkey Hash features crispy diced sweet potatoes, ground turkey, peppers, onions, and fresh sage! Eat it as-is for lunch or dinner,  or top it with a fried egg for breakfast!
    3.8 from 5 votes
    Print
    Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese, Sage and Honey Walnuts
    Prep Time
    20 mins
    Cook Time
    1 hr
    Total Time
    1 hr 20 mins
     

    A recipe for mashed sweet potatoes, featuring easy, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, chopped sage and honey walnuts.

    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 164 kcal
    Author: Kelly Anthony
    Ingredients
    • 8 medium-sized sweet potatoes scrubbed clean and patted dry
    • 2 tablespoons canola oil
    • 6 ounces goat cheese room temperature
    • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream room temperature
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon allspice
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 cup honey walnuts chopped
    • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh minced sage separated
    • 2 ounces cold goat cheese crumbled
    Instructions
    1. Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a large rimmed sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.

    2. Place the scrubbed sweet potatoes on the sheet pan and drizzle with canola oil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. 

    3. In the meantime, in a large mixing bowl, add 6 ounces room temperature goat cheese, and the cream. Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium-high until well-blended. 

    4. Peel the potatoes out of the skins and add each potato one at a time to the goat cheese mixture, mixing on medium-low speed.

    5. Once the potatoes have been incorporated, add the salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, 1 tablespoon of sage, and mix once more until incorporated. Stir in about ⅔ of the honey walnuts.

    6. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining walnuts, crumbled goat cheese and remaining sage. Serve and enjoy.

    Nutrition Facts
    Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese, Sage and Honey Walnuts
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 164 Calories from Fat 126
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 14g22%
    Saturated Fat 5g31%
    Cholesterol 25mg8%
    Sodium 213mg9%
    Potassium 12mg0%
    Carbohydrates 4g1%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 505IU10%
    Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
    Calcium 44mg4%
    Iron 0.6mg3%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    4.8 from 5 votes
    Print
    Honey Walnuts
    Cook Time
    8 mins
    Total Time
    8 mins
     

    A quick and easy recipe for stovetop honey walnuts.

    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12 (For Topping Potatoes)
    Calories: 82 kcal
    Author: Kelly Anthony
    Ingredients
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    • 1 cup walnut pieces
    • Heavy pinch Kosher salt
    Instructions
    1. Have ready a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper.

    2. Add butter to a sauté pan over medium heat and allow to melt. As soon as the butter has melted, whisk in the honey. 

    3. Add the walnuts, and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir often until the honey coating thickens and darkens in color slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of Kosher salt.

    4. Transfer the nuts to the silicone mat and allow to cool completely, about 10 minutes.

    Nutrition Facts
    Honey Walnuts
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 82 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Cholesterol 2mg1%
    Potassium 42mg1%
    Carbohydrates 4g1%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 30IU1%
    Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
    Calcium 10mg1%
    Iron 0.3mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Comments

    1. Suzy says

      November 25, 2020 at 9:07 pm

      I made these the day before for Thanksgiving. You don’t say how well they’ll do when made ahead, but I’m taking a chance. They are DELICIOUS! I had the WORST luck getting the ingredients, primarily because of my COVID shoppers, but also because I don’t read, but it didn’t matter! Goat cheese with sweet potatoes is THE BEST!!!! And frankly a surprise to me.

      Pecans, walnuts, doesn’t matter. Half and half or whipping cream (and I’m really sorry about that, but the whipping cream was an empty spot on the shelf.) Not enough goat cheese (oops! Read the ingredients all the way to the bottom next time). Pensey’s black and red instead of cayenne. My bad!

      Honestly, you cannot mess up this recipe, and you will not be sorry if you make it! Thanks, Kelly!

      Reply
      • Kelly Anthony says

        November 29, 2020 at 8:37 pm

        This is so awesome! Thank you, Suzy. One of my favorite reviews to date 😉

        Reply

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    I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

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