Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Pears

 

Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Pears

From Bon Appetit; November 1994

Guests who usually will not eat sweet potatoes enjoy this dish.  It can be made less sweet by decreasing the volume of pear nectar.

Ingredients:

5 lbs red-skinned sweet potatoes  (yams)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large firm but ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/3 inch-thick slices

¾ cup (or more) pear nectar

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp (generous) ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 400.  Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.  Pierce potatoes in several places with fork.  Place on baking sheet; bake until very tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour.  Remove from oven.  Reduce temperature to 350.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp butter in heavy large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pears; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add ¾ cup nectar; bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until pears are very tender, adding more nectar if mixture sticks to skillet and stirring often, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to processor and puree.

Peel sweet potatoes; place in large bowl of electric mixer.  Add 4 Tbsp butter; beat until smooth.  Mix in pear puree, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to prepared dish.  Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover and chill.

When ready to serve, bake potatoes uncovered until just heated through, about 20 minutes. 

Alternative – replace the cardamom with fresh rosemary and top dish with sprigs of rosemary.