Steakhouse Sweet Potatoes: the dish that started it all!
Fifteen years ago I was invited to a milestone birthday party. All of the guests were asked to bring a dish.
But unlike your typical potluck, we were assigned dishes that would create a complete meal. I was assigned mashed sweet potatoes infused with roasted garlic, butter, and heavy cream.
And I panicked.
At that time in my life, I was recently divorced working long hours in municipal government. And while my beautiful, although tiny apartment had become my oasis, my kitchen was hardly used.
But I accepted the challenge, gathered the ingredients, and cooked.
Imagine my surprise when the guests started raving about the side dish I had made!
I was hooked.
From there I immersed myself in cookbooks, became a devout follower of the Barefoot Contessa, and started taking cooking classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC.
Every time I make this dish, I pause, reflect, and smile at this very special time in my life.
I hope this recipe will help you create special culinary memories of your own!
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Steakhouse Sweet Potatoes
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Garlic Bulb $0.89
- 2 Sweet Potatoes 1.25 lbs = $2.96
- ¼ Cup Heavy Cream or Half & Half $4.99 (¼ cup) = $0.62
- Good Butter (pantry staple)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the top off the garlic bulb to expose all of the cloves.
- Drizzle garlic bulb with olive oil & sprinkle with sea salt.
- Wrap the bulb up in foil like a present.
- Place the bulb on a sheet tray to avoid the oil leaking and burning/smoking on the bottom of your oven!
- Roast 20-30 minutes (your nose will tell you when it’s done!)
- While the garlic is roasting, peel and chop the sweet potatoes.
- Place chopped sweet potatoes in a medium size pot filled with cold water and 1 tsp. sea salt.
- Boil until fork tender – about 20 minutes.
- Remove garlic cloves from the bulb once it’s cool enough to handle and set aside.
- Drain sweet potatoes and return to pot.
- Add 2 Tbsp. butter and ¼ cup cream to potatoes.
- Add cloves – use as few or as many from the bulb as you like!
- Use your electric mixer and mix until smooth and creamy. Be careful not to over-mix, this can cause potatoes to become gummy. And yes, breaking out the old-school electric mixer is necessary. A hand masher won’t deliver the velvety texture we’re going for!
- Give the dish a taste and fold in more butter, cream, and/or salt as needed.
- Serve warm ideally with a beautiful cut of steak and side of sautéed asparagus.