Sweet Potato Puree with Smoked Paprika

If you don’t like sweet potatoes you must try these. They will make you a convert.  Yum, yum, yummy is all I can say about this super easy, delicious side.

And if you LIKE sweet potatoes, well you will love these.

I have made them so many times this year I can’t count.  My husband and son love them which is always a motivating factor.

Smoked paprika is the secret weapon here.  Feel free, once you have tasted, to amp up the smoked paprika and or the cayenne to your taste.  I just happen to like them just the way they are.

A Potato Ricer (this is what I have) is very helpful here but not 100% essential.  They are just a bit more lumpy if you whip them with a hand held mixer.  The potato ricer eliminates all lumps.  It’s great for potatoes as well, of course 🙂

The pictures below are of half the recipe.  Just right for 3 people with a little bit leftover (for tomorrow, cold, yum!)  But I have written the recipe in the full amount with 1/2 measures in parenthesis.

Sweet Potato Puree with Smoked Paprika Gourmet November 2005

3 pounds (1 1/2) sweet potatoes

2 ounces (1 ounce) butter , cut up

1/3 cup(1/2 of 1/3, beats me what that measurement is, sorry)  heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon(1/8)  sweet or hot smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon (1/8)  salt

1/8 teaspoon(1/16)  cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash sweet potatoes and poke about 5-6 holes into each potato with a very sharp knife.  Place sweet potatoes on shallow pan (rimmed cookie sheet or smaller) lined with aluminum foil.  Don’t forget the aluminum foil.  You will thank me.  Place in oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes until very soft when inserted with a sharp knife.

Place butter, paprika, salt and cayenne into a medium bowl.  Place ricer over bowl.

When potatoes are done, place on a cutting board. Working with one potato at a time (they are very hot), with a serrated knife, cut off ends.  Then slice the skin once down the potato with the serrated knife.  Carefully peal away the skin, using just the knife if possible.  Sometimes I very quickly grab the skin and pull it off.  Once all the skin is off, slice potato into 5 to 6 thick slices and place into ricer.  Process potato using ricer.  Do this with each sweet potato.

When finished, mix everything together with a rubber spatula.  Add the heavy cream and mix again.

Place into a microwave safe glass container and serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, microwaving for 1-2 minutes until hot.

sweet potatoes ready to peel, butter, paprika, salt, and cayenne in bowl

peeling the potato:

processing with potato ricer:

one down:

mixing dry ingredients, butter and riced sweet potatoes, then adding heavy cream:

place in microwaveable dish:

yum ( served them with breaded chicken tenders and peas):