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Brown Butter Sweet Potato Mash

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Mash

Updated October 28, 2026

Silky mashed sweet potatoes with nutty brown butter, warm cream and a whisper of nutmeg and cinnamon. Savory-leaning, no sugar added.

Before you start: peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks so they cook evenly. For a sweeter holiday version, stir in 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup with the cream.

Make ahead: the mash keeps up to 2 days in the fridge. Reheat covered in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of cream, stirring often, or covered in a 300°F oven for about 25 minutes. For a savory version, fry 6 to 8 sage leaves in the butter as it browns and crumble them over the top.

Cook time
54 min
Rating
…

Ingredients

Scale
Measurement units
  • 2 ½ lb sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks; about 3 medium)
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the cooking water
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)
  • ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes
Put sweet potato chunks (2 ½ lb) in a large pot, cover with cold water by about an inch, and stir in kosher salt (1 tbsp).
Bring to a boil over high heat, about 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to keep a steady simmer and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides into the biggest chunk with no resistance.
Equipment: large pot
Brown the butter and warm the cream
While the potatoes simmer, melt unsalted butter (4 tbsp) in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, swirling the pan often, 4 to 6 minutes. It will foam, then quiet down; it's ready when the specks on the bottom are amber and it smells like toasted nuts.
Immediately pour the butter into a heatproof bowl, scraping in all the browned bits.
Take the empty saucepan off the heat and pour in heavy cream (¼ cup) so it warms in the hot pan.
Equipment: small light-colored saucepan, heatproof bowl
Drain, dry and mash
Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander, tilting the pot away from you.
Return them to the hot pot over low heat and shake the pot for 1 to 2 minutes, until the surfaces look dry and chalky.
Take the pot off the heat and mash or rice until smooth.
Equipment: colander, large pot, potato masher or ricer
Fold in the butter, cream and seasonings
Scrape in the brown butter and all its browned bits, then add the warm cream, kosher salt (¾ tsp), black pepper (¼ tsp), ground nutmeg (¼ tsp) and ground cinnamon (⅛ tsp).
Stir just until smooth and evenly colored.
Taste and add more kosher salt (¾ tsp) if needed. Serve hot.
Equipment: large pot

Tomorrow's Meal

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pancakes

Leftover mash whisked into a quick batter and griddled into tender, golden pancakes for breakfast.

You'll need to pick up:

1 egg1/2 cup all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1/3 cup milk1 tbsp butter for the panmaple syrup for serving

Quick overview:

  1. 1.Whisk 1 cup leftover mash with the egg and milk until smooth
  2. 2.Stir in the flour and baking powder just until no dry streaks remain
  3. 3.Melt a little butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat
  4. 4.Pour in 1/4-cup scoops and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and set
  5. 5.Serve warm with maple syrup

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