Honey-Balsamic Sweet Potato Mash

Happy Thursday, readers! This week has been crazy. Well, let me rephrase - this week has been crazy in an awesome way. I was a social butterfly this week! Some girlfriends and I ventured out to experience Paint Nite at a local bar (which was fantastic, by the way!), and the following night I met up with some more friends to share delicious margaritas and Mexican food. So many awesome plans on weeknights? Sometimes (most of the time) my life rules. 

Needless to say, I haven't spent a whole lot of time in the kitchen this week. I did, however, find time to whip up this sweet little side dish. This recipe for Honey-Balsamic Sweet Potato Mash is VERY tasty. It's great, because you can pop your potatoes in the oven to cook while you throw the rest of your meal together, and by the time your main dish is complete, the potatoes are ready to be mashed.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs sweet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

How to:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Prick your potatoes with a fork, and bake on a foil-lined baking sheet until very tender (50-60 min).
• Set the potatoes aside to cool.
• When they are cool enough to handle, halve them lengthwise and spoon out the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skins.
• Mash the potatoes to your desired consistency, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately.

The original recipe uses heavy cream, but I only had half & half in my fridge. The sweet potatoes still tasted very velvety and rich with this substitution. Additionally, the original recipe suggests using wildflower or lavender if you don't have any honey. I'm thinking it's time for me to purchase these ingredients, so I can see how they change up the dish!

Enjoy!

This recipe is from Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook.