Bourbon and Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Serves 6

Cooking Time 4 to 5 hours on Low or 3 to 4 hours on High

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Mashed sweet potatoes are often overdressed as a marshmallow-topped casserole at Thanksgiving. But for an everyday side, you can’t beat an honest sweet potato mash. Braising the sweet potatoes in the slow cooker makes cooking them virtually effortless, and there’s a world of options when it comes to dressing them up once cooked. For ours, we decided to include some bourbon, for an intensely flavored dish with a sophisticated feel. Once our sweet potatoes were tender, we mashed them and folded in a full quarter-cup of bourbon, which imparted a rich, caramelly flavor that we enhanced with a bit of brown sugar. A good amount of butter and some heavy cream ensured that they were plenty creamy. At last, we had a richly flavored sweet potato mash that actually tasted of sweet potatoes. This recipe can easily be doubled. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

3	pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3	cups water
	Salt and pepper
6	tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼	cup bourbon
3	tablespoons heavy cream, warmed
1½	tablespoons packed brown sugar

1. Combine potatoes, water, and ½ teaspoon salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 4 to 5 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.

2. Drain potatoes and return to now-empty slow cooker. Mash potatoes with potato masher until smooth. Fold in melted butter, bourbon, cream, and sugar, adjusting consistency with extra warm cream as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Mashed sweet potatoes can be held on warm or low setting for up to 2 hours; loosen with extra warm cream as needed before serving.)