Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. You know why? Because it’s not about giving gifts or dressing up, it’s just about the food! And of course family…but mostly the food!
Like many holidays, Thanksgiving involves a lot of traditional recipes. Almost everybody has one or two recipes that they make every year. I usually like to switch it up and try something new, especially when it comes to the turkey.
There is, however, one recipe that is so delicious that I have made it every Thanksgiving for about 5 years now. I have honestly never had sweet potatoes that taste quite like this version. It’s incredibly creamy because of a few cups of cream, a stick of butter (hey, it’s the holidays), and a “secret ingredient”.
Wondering just what that secret ingredient is? It’s a banana! A roasted banana to be exact. It may sound crazy, but everyone I’ve ever served these for has raved about them. Give it a try! Don’t tell your guests what the secret ingredient is, see if they can guess. No one has yet.
I hope you enjoy my Secret Ingredient Thanksgiving Sweet Potato recipe as much as I do.
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Secret Ingredient Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- About 5lbs of Sweet Potatoes
- 3 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt
- 1 Banana, ripe to overly ripe is best
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1/4 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Rinse the potatoes. Poke several holes in each with a fork. Keeping the peel on, rub each down with salt then individually wrap in aluminum foil.
- Once your oven is preheated, place potatoes on the bottom rack and cook until very tender (about 60-90 minutes). When potatoes are so tender that a paring knife immediately slices through them, take them out of the oven. Set aside.
- Place about a 1/2″ slit in your banana’s peel. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake until the peel is black, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and scoop fresh into a small bowl.
- Increase oven temperature to 500°. Take a 9×9 or 13×9 baking dish. Place inside the oven and allow to heat up for 5-10 minutes.
- Now unwrap your sweet potatoes and slice them in half. Scoop the flesh out into a bowl.
- Remove baking dish from oven. Add butter and let melt. Then add the cream, cinnamon stick, brown sugar, banana, and sweet potatoes. Use a potato masher, then stir to combine.
- Place in oven and bake 5-10 minutes until desired temperature is reached. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Serve immediately.
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