Recipe: Sweet Potatoes & Marshmallows, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free

Sweet Potatoes & Marshmallows, circa 2011
**UPDATED November 2015 **

As a child, sweet potatoes with marshmallows were what I looked forward to every year. And with my burly boy cousins, it seems there was never enough marshmallow to go around (or they simply got to it first.) The joy of being an adult is that I can create a sweet potatoes with marshmallows dish that has enough of the best parts to go around.

I discovered this recipe on Epicurious and have made it two years running. Such a keeper! I get massive compliments on it and it’s quickly become a stable. Brown sugar and spice-braised sweet potatoes are one aspect; gone are the overly-sweet (yet still delicious) canned pineapple version. But my true trick is to turn this recipe once cooked into two 9 inch round pans and to create a 1 or 1 ½ inch layer of potato mash. I top each pan with large fluffy marshmallows which creates the perfect ratio of marshmallow to sweet potato. Every spoonful (and you only need about two) is the perfect bite. Above is the shot of last year’s dish. We gobbled it up so quickly this year I didn’t get a chance to shoot it.

Swoon.

Sweet Potatoes & Marshmallows, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free
Recipe adapted from Epicurious via Bon Appetite 1994

•    4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
•    2/3 cup packed sugar in the raw
•    5 tablespoons butter
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•    Pinch of ground ginger
•    2 cups marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange potatoes in baking dish in one layer so they cook evenly. Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake potatoes 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens slightly, basting occasionally, about 20 minutes. Then I mashed the potatoes with a fork and I transfer to two smaller pans. At this point you can place in fridge until you are ready to hear and top with marshmallows.

When ready to serve, increase oven temperature to 500°F. Top potatoes with marshmallows  Return to oven; bake until marshmallows begin to melt about 3 minutes.


Be warned these sweet potatoes with marshmallows will quickly become a family favorite!


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