During holiday dinners, it’s easy for the sweet potatoes to steal the show. In fact, there’s a good chance this delicacy will be the first dish to disappear from the table, whether they’re whipped with brown sugar and butter or sautéed for a more savory take. Shake up your traditional side dishes this year with one of these six recipes that offer you a new way to use sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Sides to Liven Up Your Holiday Meal
Smashed Sweet Potatoes
These oven-roasted, smashed Japanese sweet potatoes are decadent and wonderful. Layers of flavors build up from the potato foundation into turmeric and chili, and then the umami of crushed sheets of nori and a drizzle of ghee. They’re simply unforgettable!
Kale and Sweet Potato Soup with Pasta and Poached Eggs
This soup from nationally renowned chef Meike Peters will become a warming fall staple to on those sad, gray, wintery days. The combination of kale and sweet potatoes is extremely healthy, and sometimes a cup of soup as a side at a casual holiday table is lovely.
Sweet Potato Stacks
This recipe only takes a half an hour. It’s a filling side, enjoyable for even the pickiest of eaters, and comforting for cold days. These will go very well with ham, poultry, and turkey, and you’ll be making them long after Thanksgiving.
Sweet Potato Rosettes
At TABLE, we often say “the camera eats first.” These Sweet Potato Rosettes are as delicious to eat as they are beautiful to look at, and they’re a pretty easy recipe to make at home to impress your guests, too.
Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters
The freshness of corn and zucchini combines with the richness of sweet potato to become this fritter. This is a cousin of the latke, a winning holiday side plate with a sprig of fennel and radishes for that extra touch of color.
Bistro Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
The salty, nutty flavor of pecans makes a great accompaniment to sweet potatoes. This casserole will warm you through and through with smooth potatoes, sweet brown sugar, and an irresistible topping. It makes for a perfect side or even an entire meal.
Spiced Japanese Sweet Potato Pierogi
Spice up your holiday table with pierogis as a new side. You still get the sweet potatoes you know and love but in a new form. Purple Japanese sweet potatoes, red pepper flakes, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger fold in aromatically with gorgeous shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms.
Homemade Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas
Keep the international-inspired sides going with simple Sweet Potato Empanadas. Empanadas may sound like a challenge but this version allows for store-bought pie crust, making this crowd-pleaser as easy-as-pie.
Baby Yams with Maple Chipotle Compound Butter
This traditionally baked sweet potato impresses with an added kick. Baby yams fresh out of the oven go perfectly with sweet and spicy maple-chipotle compound butter. It’s a complimentary holiday side to any main dish.
Sweet Potato and Pork Belly Hash
This Sweet Potato and Pork Belly Hash is a homey side you may well find yourself serving again and again. The savory fattiness of pork belly infuses its goodness into the perfectly cooked sweet potato, setting the stage for a wonderful feast. Use this simple recipe as a last-minute addition to any meal.
Story by Kylie Thomas
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