Appetizers
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without a sweet potato casserole. And sweet potatoes wouldn’t be complete without butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. What sets this one apart is a flavor that’s simultaneously familiar and unexpected: wood smoke. Happy T-Day!
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup
Recipe Notes
- Active Prep: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 to 60 minutes for smoke-roasting the potatoes, plus 20 to 30 minutes for browning
- Yield: Serves 8
- Method: Smoke-roasting (indirect grilling with wood smoke)
- Equipment: Can be grilled over gas, but you’ll get a better flavor from charcoal. You’ll also need a 9 × 13-inch baking dish or aluminum drip pan; a sti«- bristle vegetable brush; and hardwood chunks or chips (soaked),
Ingredients
- 6 sweet potatoes (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for the baking dish, plus 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) cold butter for the topping
- 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon thinly slivered fresh chives (optional)
Recipe Steps
1: Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high. Grease the bottom and sides of the baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
2: Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes in their skins with a stiff bristle vegetable brush. Dry well, then prick each sweet potato 10 or 12 times with a fork. (This allows the steam to escape so the potatoes don’t explode, and lets the smoke penetrate the flesh.) Arrange the sweet potatoes on the grate over the drip pan away from the heat. If enhancing a charcoal fire, add the wood chunks or chips to the coals; if enhancing a gas fire, place the chunks or chips in your grill’s smoker box or place chunks under the grate directly over one or more burners. Close the grill lid.
3: Smoke-roast (indirect grill) the sweet potatoes until tender, 40 to 60 minutes. Use a bamboo skewer to test for doneness: It should pierce the spud easily. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a cutting board to cool. The sweet potatoes can be smoke-roasted at a previous grill session up to a day ahead; cover and refrigerate.
4: Cut each sweet potato crosswise into ó-inch slices. (I leave the skins on, but you can certainly peel the potatoes you like.) Shingle the slices in rows to fill up the buttered baking dish. If you like rum, stir it into the maple syrup and pour the mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Thinly slice the cold butter on top. The sweet potatoes can be prepared up to a day ahead to this stage and refrigerated.
5: Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high. Indirect grill the sweet potatoes until the butter is melted, the brown sugar is bubbling, and the sweet potatoes are darkly browned, 20 to 30 minutes, or as needed. Sprinkle with the chives (if using). Serve right out of the baking dish.
VARIATION: So, you’re probably wondering what happened to the marshmallows. If your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes are unthinkable without them, buy mini marshmallows or slice large ones (preferably artisanal) and arrange them on top of the sweet potatoes over the brown sugar. Smoke-roast as described above until the marshmallows are melted, browned, and smoky.
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