Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Dinner Tonight: Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, February 27, 2008 at 4:15 PM

I’ve had chipotle mashed potatoes with regular old russets a few times, but they didn’t do much for me. Though far from atrocious, nothing new was created. It just tasted like mashed potatoes with an awkward tinge of heat, not a unique dish. Perhaps it was the version I had. I’m certainly not a mashed potato purist, but I like my pairings to work together

But chipotle smashed sweet potatoes do work. I think it all comes down to balance. The chipotle kick still exists, but it is calmed by the sweet and creamy body of the sweet potatoes. And that really makes all the difference. So does steaming the potatoes, a technique I was incredibly leery about, thinking it would take too long. Then again, Alton Brown rarely fails, and this Good Eats-approved recipe is just another shining example.

About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Good Eats

- serves 2 -

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon of adobo sauce from the can
Pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Steam the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes until very tender. I used a bamboo steamer set over a large pasta pot. But a regular steamer basket works, too.

2. Transfer sweet potatoes to a large bowl, add the butter, and smash with a potato masher.

3. Add the pepper, the sauce, and season with salt. Mash until combined and serve.

4 Comments Favorite this!  (1)

Tags: Alton Brown, Dinner Tonight, potatoes, spicy, sweet potatoes

View other entries from Dinner Tonight.