Potato and Sweet Potato Mash with No Sugar
Sneak Peek: This Potato and Sweet Potato Mash recipe combines white mashed potatoes with mashed sweet potatoes to create a beautiful and tasty side dish that’s not overly sweet and cloying.
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Are you tired of sweet potato casseroles that make you want a can of Redi-Whip to top them off?
I love a good sweet potato pie—for dessert. But when I’m eating turkey, roast beef, or even green bean casserole, it doesn’t seem fitting to plop a brown sugar, butter-saturated spoonful of sweet potatoes down next to them.
If you feel the same way, this recipe is a beautiful alternative.
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Why is mixing sweet potatoes and white potatoes a good idea?
So often, a dish of 100% sweet potatoes can be a little much.
Adding white potatoes seems to mellow out the sweet potatoes. They also complement each other texture and taste-wise.
If you have a lonely potato or two sitting on your kitchen counter, add it to potatoes of the other color. For example, if you only have one or two sweet potatoes, make up the difference with more white potatoes. It doesn’t matter. (Here’s another idea for a lonely potato: Perfected Potato Burger Buns Mixed in a Bread Machine or these Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls)
What do I serve with this side dish?
Whenever you would typically serve mashed potatoes is an excellent time to try this casserole. Try a little gravy over the top.
If you’re trying to cut back on gravy, this recipe is also an excellent way to go. Again, the sweet potatoes add flavor.
Don’t save this dish for the fall and winter holidays alone. It’s perfect with grilled meats–especially something spicy like sausage.
How to make White and Sweet Potato Mash
FAQ about Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes:
I don’t recommend it. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They are not even in the same family as sweet potatoes. In the United States, I rarely see yams in the grocery store unless it is a specialty market.
White sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes (if you can find them) are interchangeable. However, both varieties are denser and starchier.
The novelty of the orange and white colors will be for naught if you use the white sweet potatoes. The purple potatoes may bleed into the white potatoes when you make the swirl if you boil them first.
How do you prevent the colors from bleeding if you use purple potatoes? Mary-Frances Heck, the author of Sweet Potatoes, suggests roasting, sauteing, or frying.
Yukon Gold or russets are best, in that order. The variety and age of your potatoes affect how much milk you need to add. Start with less and add more milk to get the best texture.
No, you can leave them unpeeled if you prefer. Scrub the potatoes well and cut them into chunks. Leaving the skins on will give some texture and extra fiber.
Suit yourself on this one. You can peel both types of potatoes (specified in the recipe), or just the sweet potatoes, or don’t peel (but do scrub) at all.
Don’t miss these Spicy Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Balls, Skinny Baked Sweet Potato Chips, or Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes.
Freeze the leftovers in small portions of ½ cup each and make sweet potato rolls.
Parting thoughts: Because these potatoes aren’t full of sugar, I enjoy them throughout the year as a change from the more common bowl of mashed potatoes. I hope you do, too.
More recipes for potato lovers:
If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately for a quick answer: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!
Potato and Sweet Potato Mash Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds white potatoes - peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 ½ pound sweet potatoes - peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter - divided
- ⅔ cup warmed milk - divided
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place white potatoes into the bottom of a saucepan, then sweet potatoes on top. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Barely cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.
- Drain potatoes. Remove sweet potatoes from the pan and place them into another bowl. Place white potatoes back into your original pan and let them dry while you mash the sweet potatoes. For this step, I put on exam gloves (which I always have in my kitchen) to remove the hot sweet potatoes.
- Mash the sweet potatoes your favorite way. (I use a ricer, but a potato masher or portable mixer is also good.)
- Start with about 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Add more, if needed, to make potatoes creamy and smooth but not runny. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the white potatoes. Again, start with about 2 tablespoons of milk. Add more milk, as needed, until the consistency matches your sweet potatoes.
- Plop mashed sweet potatoes back into the pan with mashed white potatoes. Make a couple of folds with a spoon to barely mix. Move to a serving dish being careful not to mix too much.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.