Ah, Thanksgiving dinner: home of the sweet potato casserole. I’m not a big fan, because the traditional casserole tastes more like dessert than dinner. Plus, I always forget that I put the casserole under the broiler to toast the marshmallows.
Then I have to spend extra time trying to scrape the now-charred marshmallows off the top to salvage the dish. Blech. This year, I decided to research some options that don’t involve mini-marshmallows. Check out these great sweet potato recipes!
Don’t miss our other Thanksgiving Side Dishes, How to Cook a Turkey, Thanksgiving Desserts and Thanksgiving Pumpkin Desserts.
Whipped Bourbon Bacon Sweet Potatoes
Holiday eating isn’t about making good choices, right? Excellent, because this dish is not health food, people. But it incorporates alcohol and bacon, so we forgive it its flaws.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter
According to Pinterest, Hasselback potatoes are a thing. So here they are sweetened with maple and cinnamon and ready for your Thanksgiving meal.
Sweet sweet potatoes, savory sweet potatoes—how do you decide? How about you don’t? Instead, whip up some twice-baked sweet potatoes and let guests top their own potatoes at a potato bar stocked with a variety of toppings! And yes, you can put mini-marshmallows out. If you have to.
Soup is a fantastic addition to any big dinner if for no other reason than it’s a perfect dish to make ahead. I don’t know about you, but I think soup always tastes better the day after it’s made. For the holidays, try this simple roasted sweet potato soup.
Sweet Potato-Russet Potato Gratin with Horseradish and Dijon Crust
Okay, this recipe had me at “gratin.” Then there’s the whole horseradish and Dijon thing and now I’m drooling. Oh yeah—I also love that this combines sweet and regular potatoes into one dish!
Since sweet potatoes are, you know, sweet, they don’t have to stay on the dinner table. Why not try them on the dessert buffet in the form of this yummy cobbler. Fancy maple-leaf-shaped crust optional.
We all know sweet potato pie is a thing. In fact, it’s a thing that looks exactly like a pumpkin pie. Make your sweet potato pie stand out by serving this gorgeous sliced version instead.
I kind of melted into a little puddle when I saw this picture: It just. Looks. So. Good. I’m a sucker for spoon bread. Toss in some spices that scream “fall” (or PSL, as the case may be) and you’ve got a winner!
I love homemade bread, but I am such a lazy bread maker. These sweet potato rolls started calling my name as soon as I noticed they’re no-knead. Woo hoo!
Sweet Potato-Cranberry Crisp
Finally, I’ll leave you with this dish. Its creator insists it’s a dessert, but with the sweet-salty combination of sweet potatoes, cranberries, potato chips, and pecans, I’ll let you choose where you’ll serve your crisp.
Even non-sweet-potato-fans are sure to find something in here to try. (Try a bite to be polite, as my daughter’s preschool said!) These all look so delicious, though, that I’m pretty sure your guests will take more than a “polite helping”—be sure you have plenty of sweet potatoes on your shopping list.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!