Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Sweet potatoes always grace our Thanksgiving table. It’s tradition. And you don’t mess with tradition in the Bennett house. No sirree Bob. My two sassy gals will let me know in a New York minute if I’ve left out, or mistakenly altered, time-honored traditions. It’s almost amusing. Almost.
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
So, when I mentioned I’d be testing this new sweet potato spoon bread recipe, I had everyone’s attention. That rarely happens. It was nice. All eyes and ears on me. I could see it on their faces. Is Mom really changing the menu for Thanksgiving?
Light, airy and souffle like texture... delicious!
I went out on a limb and thankfully it didn’t break! The spoon bread won the approval of my sometimes tough food critics. The finished dish is light, airy, with a souffle like texture, that’s slightly sweet with a hint of fresh thyme. A lovely addition to our Thanksgiving menu.
I Wish you all a most beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving holiday.
Loads of love, Karista
Sara Foster’s Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Serves 8
I found this recipe while browsing through a magazine waiting for my Suzie Q at her orthodontist appointment. Score! That was a great afternoon. And to top it off, I adore Sara Foster recipes. Check out her website at www.fostersmarket.com
Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely ground white or yellow cornmeal
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease a 2-quart soufflé or casserole dish with about 1 tablespoon of the butter; set aside
Wrap potatoes in foil. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until soft to the touch. Remove from oven; discard foil. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard peels. In a large bowl, mash potatoes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring milk, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to a low boil over medium heat. In a slow, steady stream, whisk cornmeal into milk mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and pulls away from bottom of pan. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add potatoes, egg yolks, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and baking powder to cornmeal mixture; stir to thoroughly combine.
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Leaving obvious swirls of egg white, gently fold egg whites into the potato-cornmeal mixture.
Spoon batter into prepared dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Edges will be firm and the center a bit soft. Remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
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I’ve just popped into see this recipe based on Betsy’s comment on my blog – I had to come and see it for myself! And I’ll confess I didn’t really know what Spoonbread was and had to go and look it up on Wikiepdia (uh oh how trustworthy is the info!) but I now get the general idea. It looks very soufle like, which I adore, love sweet potatoes too in fact I want to try growing them next year) One question though, could I miss the sugar out of this recipe?
I think I could eat spoonbread everyday.
Yes, I think it would be fine to leave out the sugar. I added it in just for a touch of sweetness. A little honey or maple syrup might be nice instead. Enjoy!!
Love this! I’m making it for Thanksgiving at my mom’s house to go with ham and creamed spinach (we’re going non-traditional this year!) What a lovely sounding dish.
Thanks Betsy! Your non-traditional dinner sounds divine! Love creamed spinach.
My family won’t eat the traditional sweet potatoes (they pick the marshmallows off the top!) but they love this dish. Enjoy!
I’ll confess I go out of my way to avoid that marshmallow concoction/preparation of sweet potatoes. I’d found one that sounded lovely in Bon Ap with browned butter and bourbon, but I can’t NOT make this spoon bread!
Look at that fluffy bread. Look at the pictures have blown me away. They look so light and yummy at the same time. Can’t even think about how great they taste really. I think I am going to use muffin tin for this cake. Just love to see the brownish color on top of it. I don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving day to make this right?
Thanks for the recipe Karista
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
Sorry for no ? and misspelled word. Traveling in the car
What kind of flavor does this have. I have only haqd sweet potato pie. Is it sweet? Thank you, Jane
Hi Jane, the spoon bread isn’t terribly sweet. The natural sweetness of the corn and sweet potatoes comes through, but I would definitely consider this a more savory dish. The fresh or dry thyme is a lovely compliment to the sweet potato and corn. Have a delicious Thanksgiving!
I am also trying for the first time. Different twist on the traditional sweet potato, and still good for you. My question for you is, can this be made a day in advance and then reheated in the oven the day of? I have read that it can be made same day only earlier in the day. I was hoping to reheat at 350 for 30 min. day of.
Thank you
Thanks for the comment Jan. The dish is really best day of. However, my test recipe sat in the frig for a few days, with me sneaking bites several times a day. It was still very tasty, just not quite as light and fluffy. But still good. Maybe try par baking just until almost done. Then day of serving pop it back in the oven to reheat and finish cooking. Enjoy!
I love the twist on traditional spoon bread. It sounds perefect for Thanksgiving.
I just finished off my test recipe leftovers! I was trying to save it for Thanksgiving dinner but I’ll just have to make more. Have a lovely Thanksgiving Karen!
AND gluten free?? The gods are shining upon me…thanks for this, Karista! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I read the recipe… it sounds delicious.. I see the pictures… it looks tasty… I’ve got to try this. Thank You for sharing
I’ve never heard of spoon bread, but it sounds fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
You’re so welcome! Spoon bread is typically prepared with fine ground corn meal, milk, eggs and seasoning. This is a lovely Fall twist. Spoon bread is also a popular food in the Southern US, where I grew up. Enjoy!
I definitely need to try this!
Thanks for the comment Devin! It’s a delicious twist on traditional sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. Enjoy! (and love your blog!)