Browned Maple Butter Sweet Potato & Pinot Noir Wine Pairing

By Lauren Kelp 
on October 31st, 2016
In: Recipes

Hello, hello my lovely holiday makers!  Lauren here from thoughtful living & entertaining site, LaurenKelp.com. Are you getting excited about Thanksgiving?! Raise a hand if you can’t believe it’s less than 2 weeks away. I hate to say it, but Thanksgiving totally snuck up on me this year & while I welcome it with open arms, I was a bit nervous about getting all my ducks in a row.

Did you notice how I said, “was nervous,” as in, I am not anymore? That’s because I found the most insane side dish – browned maple butter sweet potatoes – and everything is just kind of revolving around this magic incarnation of a carb.

Browned Maple Butter Sweet Potato

Let’s be honest, I have never met a carb I didn’t like & these insanely delicious sweet potatoes totally fit the bill. Perfectly sweet, but not rich like traditional sweet potatoes with the marshmallow topping, and that browned maple syrup butter is beyond amazing. In fact I am now trying to put it on everything – coffee, toast, biscuits, you get the idea. Trust me, you will absolutely feel the same way!

Okay, okay, enough chitchat – let’s get down to it. Find your new favorite recipe below, ooh & pro tip from the chef, it tastes better when the cook has a glass of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir when making the dish.

Print

Browned Maple Butter Sweet Potato & Pinot Noir Wine Pairing

Recipe type: Side Dish
Ingredients
  • 4 lbs of sweet potatoes
  • Sea salt & fresh pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
  • 4.5 teaspoons of pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup of chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
  1. Pour yourself a glass of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir, tighten up that apron, & let’s get to cooking!
  2. While your oven is preheating to 400 degrees, prick your sweet potatoes a few times all over with a fork.
  3. Line a baking sheet with foil and bake until tender (an hour and a half, depending on your oven)
  4. Once your potatoes have cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree in a blender or food processer. Add in 1.5 teaspoons of salt & fresh ground pepper (to taste), blend until smooth.
  5. Heat a saucepan over medium heat & add in your butter. Once melted, remove from heat, and add in your maple syrup in a spiral motion.
  6. Add your puree to a serving dish (reheat if necessary), pour browned maple syrup butter over top & sprinkle on the pecans.
  7. Serve & be merry!

Browned Maple Butter Sweet Potato

Not that difficult, right?! The actual cooking of the potatoes is the most involved part of the whole process the rest is just finessing. What could be better than that?

Now that you’ve got the side dish that will make even the harshest critics compliment your handy work, let’s talk wine. I am a red wine girl through & through and there are few things that I love more then a really delicious glass of Pinot Noir to sip on with friends and family while it’s cold outside, eating delicious food & playing games.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir because it’s a red that everyone can get behind. It is absolutely one of our go-to reds because its earthy and a bit oaky (so the big red fans will love it), has bright cherry and raspberry notes (so your sweeter wine drinkers will fall for it), and it’s a bit spicy (so you can please the cocktail drinkers). See what I mean? It’s a slam-dunk!

KJ Vintners Reserve Pinot Noir

So, what do you say? Going to give this side dish a whirl? We highly recommend it! If you are looking for more Thanksgiving (friendsgiving or otherwise), check out our How to Host a Friendsgiving post! We’ve got lots of fun tricks up our sleeve to help make the evening a total success!

Love this recipe as much as we do? We want to see! Tag @KJWines & @LaurenKelp_com to show us your sassy sweet potato dish. Careful, we might just have to crash your dinner!

Happy Hosting!

Browned Maple Butter Sweet Potato

Photography by Constance Higley (www.constancehigley.com)