Bourbon Bacon Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter and Sage

I know this photo is not great – it gets too dark for photos at 5 now, and I’m not profesh enough to make dinner in the middle of the day or make multiples of a dish for photo purposes, sorry!  But did you read that title description?  DID YOU?  Bourbon. Bacon. Sweet Potatoes. Brown Butter. Sage.  Need I say more to convince you to try this?

I haven’t actually cooked with Bourbon a whole lot before, and now I am loving it.  It lends such rich, smoky, and sweet flavors to a dish – which go perfectly with bacon, by the way.  I mean, duh!  And the nutty brown butter and crispy, buttery fried sage?  Just awesome.  And super healthy sweet potatoes make up for all that fat and booze, right? Maybe? Just a little?  Plus – since sweet potatoes are more fibrous than starchy, you can whip them into fluffy perfection without worrying about them becoming gummy like regular potatoes.

This would make a perfect Thanksgiving side, and if I were a better blogger I would have told you about them BEFORE the holiday.  But they also go really well with pork or chicken, and I have a recipe coming up for each that would be perfect, so I promise to make it up to you.

Bourbon Bacon Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter and Sage
adapted from How Sweet Eats
serves 8

4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
15-20 sage leaves
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp bourbon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add the potato chunks to a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chopped bacon.  Cook the bacon until it is crispy and all of the fat has been cooked out.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain.  To the same skillet, add the butter to the bacon fat and heat it over medium heat.  When it has melted and starts to foam, add the sage leaves.  Cook until crispy – 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.  By this time, the butter should have browned (it will smell nutty) – remove from heat and reserve.

Drain the potatoes thoroughly and add them back to the pot.  Mash them with a fork or potato masher, then use a whisk or electric hand mixer to whip them.  Once whipped, add in the milk, the bourbon, and the brown butter bacon fat mixture.  Whip the potatoes again until everything is combined.  Taste the potatoes and add the salt and pepper, seasoning more or less if desired.

Spread the potatoes into a dish and top them with the crispy bacon.  Crumble the sage on top.

Alternatively (if you are not serving immediately), you can bake them for 25 to 30 minutes at 325 deg F, then remove them from the oven and crumble the sage over top.  If you are doing this method, it is best to only cook the bacon 3/4 of the way and let it finish crisping in the oven.

One Year Ago – Smoked Salmon Pizzette
Two Years Ago – Quinoa Mac and Cheese
Three Years Ago – Snickerdoodle Surprise Cookies