Peanut Brittle Sweet Potatoes

I made these sweet potatoes for Christmas, where they proved to be quite popular. They are simple enough to make at less festive times as well though, and not too over-the-top in terms of their embellishment for everyday eating.

I resisted the lure of sweet toppings on sweet potatoes for a long time - they are a vegetable, damn it; not a dessert. (Okay, they can be a dessert, but if you are going to serve them next to a roast and a pile of greens, they should not be a dessert.)  At any rate, it appears I have gone over to the dark side on this subject. Still, all I can say is if you ever find me sticking a marshmallow on a sweet potato, it is time to take me back out behind the barn and shoot me.

4 servings
1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

4 medium sweet potatoes (700 grams, 1 1/2 pounds)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Sucanat or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped salted roasted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Wash the sweet potatoes, trimming off any bad spots. Poke them with a fork in several places, then put them in a shallow baking tray. Bake them for 1 hour to 1 hour and a quarter, until soft.

Mix the butter and Sucanat or sugar in a small bowl and set it at the back of the stove or another warm place while the sweet potatoes bake. Alternatively, you can heat them in the microwave until the butter is melted.

When the sweet potatoes are done, cut them in half, and arrange them cut side facing up. Roughen and loosen the surface with a fork. Mix the peanuts with the butter and Sucanat, and spoon the mixture evenly over the tops of the sweet potatoes.

Move the top rack down one slot so that it is not directly under the broiler. From this slight distance, broil the sweet potatoes for about 4 to 8 minutes, until the peanut mixture is browned and bubbly. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Garlic & Shallot Mashed Potatoes.