Growing up, the same scene bizarre tradition played out year after year at the Thanksgiving table. Sweet potato casserole—you know the kind, glazed in brown sugar and topped with marshmallows—was placed on the table. And there it stayed, virtually untouched, all evening long. Even as a candy-hoarding youth, I knew the stuff was tooth-achingly sweet, somehow even upstaging the sugar quotient of pecan pie.
Then one day it happened. All at once, it seemed, members of my family looked across the table at one another, all simultaneously experiencing the same life-altering realization: Sweet potatoes don't have to be so damn, well, sweet.
And it hasn't been since.
Here are six strategies I've used to take sweet potatoes from overly sweet zero, to show-stopping Thanksgiving hero:
ADD A BITTER ELEMENT
Sweet potatoes are inherently sugary even before you start adding brown sugar, so add a bit of acid and bitterness to balance things out. Try roasting them in a glaze made from orange juice, angostura bitters, sugar, and vinegar. After a quick trip in the oven, you're left with a tray of sweet potatoes roasted into dark, gorgeously caramelized goodness.
MAKE THEM INTO A SALAD
Get greens on the Thanksgiving table with this craveable, fall-appropriate salad. Sear halved sweet potatoes until nice and caramelized, and then pair them with a mix of bitter radicchio, spicy crumbles of merguez sausage, and a tangy pomegranate-molasses vinaigrette.
MIX IN ANOTHER VEGETABLE
"But I want classic, creamy sweet potatoes," you say. Temper that sweetness by blending in a second vegetable, like not-so-sweet parsnips.
ROAST THEM...IN ASH
Maybe simply roasting sweet potatoes in the oven is just a little too Basic for you. But if you've already got your grill going for your turkey, try cooking the sweet potatoes directly on the bed of embers. The result beneath the layer of charred black skin (peel that part away) is tender, smoke-infused orange flesh.
THROW TOGETHER A QUICK CURRY
Aromatics like ginger, lemongrass, thai chile, and crushed tomatoes add depth and nuance to those tender sweet potatoes. The dish's bright flavors are sure to stand apart from the rest of your Thanksgiving table (and we mean that in the best way possible).
LAYER THEM INTO A GRATIN
If all else fails, butter, parm, and heavy cream can always counter sweetness with richness. Thin slices of sweet potatoes and turnips get layered with that trio of delicious ingredients, covered in crispy bread crumbs, and baked until bubbly. Sweet.
