Mashed Sweet Potatoes Get 50% More Flavor When You Add This Type Of Butter

Whether it's the holidays or you're simply looking for a cozy, warm-you-to-your-bones side dish, mashed sweet potatoes are a classic. There are a ton of different ways to enjoy them. You've probably had them spiced up (hitting them with a bit of hot honey adds a delicious kick), topped with mini marshmallows, or even as the top layer of a cozy shepherd's pie. No matter how you prepare your mashed sweet potatoes, there's one ingredient you can add to take their flavor to the next level: brown butter. It's luxurious, easy to prepare ahead of time (you can make brown butter once and use it for months), and adds a little je ne sais quoi to otherwise run-of-the-mill sweet potatoes.

If you pay attention to food trends, there's a good chance you've heard of — or made — brown butter before. It's a pretty simple concept. Brown butter is regular butter that's cooked until the milk solids get toasty and take on a caramel flavor that adds depth and richness. This flavor is showstopping when it's added to mashed sweet potatoes because it creates a slightly nutty, decadent side dish that can also work well as a part of a dessert.

If you've never made brown butter before, fear not — it's an easy process. Keep a close eye on your butter as it browns; it can go from browned to burnt pretty quickly. As soon as it's done, get it out of the pan. Leaving it in can cause the milk solids to burn and become bitter. Consider straining your brown butter if you want super-smooth mashed sweet potatoes since the toasted milk solids can add a bit of texture to the dish.

If you'd like to jazz up your brown butter mashed sweet potatoes, there are a ton of ways to add even more flavor, such as adding herbs to the butter as it browns. Rosemary and sage can create particularly delicious results. While unsalted butter is typically used to make brown butter, add a bit of salt to help highlight the sweetness of mashed sweet potatoes. This works especially well if you're making sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows since a pinch of salt works well with the sweetness from the marshmallows and sweet potatoes, and the richness of the brown butter. No matter how you prepare them, brown butter mashed sweet potatoes are likely to become a dinnertime staple once you give them a try.