Simple mashed sweet potatoes

As a child, I loathed sweet potatoes. All I knew of sweet potatoes was either the frozen glazed variety that my mom, out of obligation, threw in the oven each Thanksgiving for my dad or the marshmallow-coated, nut-studded, syrupy sweet casserole I’d seen from time to time as a holiday guest. To both, I have to ask, WHY? Sweet potatoes are very sweet (hence accurate portion of the brilliantly descriptive name) so why, unless one is making them into a dessert, do we feel compelled to make them so much sweeter? WHY? This group compulsion made me avoid this nutrient dense, low calorie, cheap, and most importantly of all, tasty tuber until well into my adult life. Shame on all of us. The key to a good mashed sweet potato is to go easy on it, let it be what it is, and save yourself some time, effort, and empty calories in the process.

This is a frugal superfood!

During fall, sweet potatoes are so cheap. I got these, which are about two pounds for $.25/lb at Caputo’s, but this week they are low as $.18/lb (at Ultra Foods). Butter is also really cheap during holiday seasons because it is on people’s mind for baking, plus you don’t need much, so it isn’t a huge expense either way. I can almost always find a pound of butter for $2 or less, so this is at most a whole quarter worth of butter. Also it is $1.38 at Ultra with their in-ad coupon and $1.99 at Jewel for two with the BOGO Essential Everyday coupon in the 11/17 RP. I am stealing ¼ cup of my husband’s half and half that was $.99 for this huge carton. Obviously it is not always that cheap, but again, you are not using much. Other than that, you need a bit of sweet, a bit of salt, and a tiny bit of pepper.

It is also ridiculously easy

Peel the sweet potatoes and quarter them. Cut each quarter into slices that are about ¼ inch thick. Put them in a saucepan big enough to hold them, but not too big. Add your ¼ cup of half & half, four separate tablespoons of butter, a teaspoon of maple syrup, and a half teaspoon salt.

Cover the pot and cook on low for about 40 minutes, until they are mash-able. Take a look in the pot and stir once in a while, if you remember.

Um, mash them. That is all.