Sweet potatoes - we love them now, but for a long time we avoided them due to bad experiences with too-sweet Thanksgiving casseroles topped with marshmallows.
Well, this year we're on sweet potato duty for the entire clan's Thanksgiving, and apparently we have no choice but to make the traditional sweet-sweet-sweet-potato casserole with sour cream, butter, and marshmallows. There will be a small, rebellious dish of Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions nearby, but the sweet tradition appears unbreakable.
So we ask, how do you take your sweet potatoes, come Thanksgiving? More sweet potato recipes (sans marshmallows) after the jump, too.











Very sweet, but without marshmellows. Basically I make a simple lime syrup and cover roasted sweet potatoes with it. Very tasty.
view Kassie's profile
I make a recipe that is like a dressed up version of the marshmallow classic. Sweet and spicy, but the topping is brown sugar put under the broiler to form a faux creme brulée.
view genevieve_s's profile
I like the sweet potato sticks with rosemary, referenced above. I also like baked sweet potatoes with caramelized onions and parmesan cheese.
Someone else, however, is in charge of the sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving, so who knows what we'll get?
view Joan A.'s profile
We lack a sweet tooth in my family, so we always do baked sweet potato with butter. Cheese and sour cream make an appearance too, but I like it simple---butter, salt and pepper.
view Laura (murray hill)'s profile
Baked or with a maple syrup glaze (containing a bit of lemon so it's not so cloying.)
view charise's profile
I'm definitely in the savory camp-- sweet potatoes are sweet enough without all that other glop! I usually toss with olive oil, cumin, pepper, coriander, curry, salt, pepper, etc., then roast. Delish!
view kibitzknitz's profile
I think European people will never understand how you can top ANYthing with marshmallows ;-)
view Lillian's profile
City Bakery in New York roasts cubes of sweet potatoes with chunks of pineapple and some cilantro. Just right.
Me, I'm making a galette of sweet potatoes and yams with ginger and lemon zest this year.
view noarch's profile
I MUST have this every year for Thanksgiving: baked yams with amaretti crumble topping. Sweet, but not cloying, and sophisticated, and outrageously good.
view DC Sarah's profile
I like mine mashed with chipotle and creme fraiche. Mmmmm.
view raspberry eggplant's profile
cut into spears or strips, coated with oil, topped with garlic, salt and pepper, and sometimes parmesan cheese, and roasted, - these are the best "fries" you'll ever eat. a bit of a variation from traditional, so that's my private thanksgiving tradition - the family all insist on mashed, with butter and maple syrup.
view lizb's profile
I use a recipe out of "Modern Vegetarian Table"-- it uses a simple maple and orange juice glaze, spiced with ginger and cinnamon. It's spicy, slightly sweet, and, of course, delicious!
view Lorena in SD's profile
Sweet potatoes are best done the simplest way- wash 'em, poke a few holes in, toss 'em in the oven. Serve with butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
view RoseCampion's profile
whipped with a top crust of crushed pecans and brown sugar carmelized
view pdxcarrie's profile
i love them spicy, with curry or chipotle. nobody else in my family goes for that, though, so we usually just bake them and serve with butter, cinnamon for those who want it, and salt for me.
view thinkingwoman's profile
Mashed, with pumpkin pie spices [like nutmeg and cinnamon, etc] and maple syrup.
view gretchenkjer's profile
I hated sweet potatoes as a kid. Then I discovered people put marshmallows and OJ in them...yuck! I don't mind sweet taters, but I stick to maple syrup or brown sugar and butter. Or my mother-in-laws sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and cream cheese.
view Green Me's profile
What nobody said sweet potaoe pie!!! my granny makes em by the dozen and we all take one (or two * i'm the favorite grandson). even my monster-in-law makes great sp pies. i also slice em up and simmer them for abot 20-30 minutes with butter and brown sugar. the kids love them, but when i was kid i found out that if you eat them like that your kool-aide taste like colored water. anyway happy turkey day folks.
view thedirtyshow's profile
None of the above!! In my house we like our sweet potatoes "Boozy"
We make "Drunken Auntie Barb's Mashed Bourbon Sweet Potatoes." Dear GOD is it good. Only for the adults, though, it is so boozy that I highly doubt ALL the alcohol cooks out.
view cranberrybobbie's profile
Whipped with cream, butter & a little brown sugar :)
view JEP's profile
I'm whipping ours with some coconut milk and a bit of butter, then adding a topping of brown sugar and pecans. Just sweet enough.
view Joy R.'s profile
In our house we make these baked sweet potatoes topped with a mixture of pecans and brown sugar with the potato mixture. Then we put marshmallows on top and put that under the broiler. YUM!!!!
view Shannon Bradly's profile
I like them candied, but not too sweet. Cut in half, longways and roasted with butter and brown sugar. Mmm.
view mfm's profile
Mashed, and then baked with apples on top and brown sugar. It is the first thing to disappear every year.
view carlyf's profile
whipped, with butter, cream, and some of my newly-discovered smoked paprika
view MayaB's profile
Mashed with lots of roasted garlic.
But now, reading everyone's different ways of preparing them, I'm thinking of the burrito cart that sold sweet potato burritos - sweet creamy potatoes with fresh salsa and black beans.
view sciencegeek's profile
@cranberrybobbie - is that a secret recipe?
view Lesley - London's profile