Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows (2024)

The American tradition of cooking sweet potatoes with marshmallows is a bit of a leap for the European reader.But it always pays to keep an open mind. I find myself strangely compelled by the luscious, syrupy purée, just tangy enough with lime to find a workable partnership with the white dots of marshmallow, tortoiseshelled by the heat of the oven.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

The American tradition of cooking sweet potatoes with marshmallows is a bit of a leap for the European reader.But it always pays to keep an open mind. I find myself strangely compelled by the luscious, syrupy purée, just tangy enough with lime to find a workable partnership with the white dots of marshmallow, tortoiseshelled by the heat of the oven.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

• 

  FEAST

  2004

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/200°C Fan/425ºF. Prick or puncture the sweet potatoes with a fork and put them each on to a piece of foil large enough to wrap them in. I find these cook best in individual parcels, so just be prepared to make a lot of them: I find the weight above means you’re dealing with 8 or 9 potatoes in one go.
2. Divide the oil between the foil sheets and then rub or turn the sweet potatoes in it and wrap into baggy but well sealed parcels. Put them on to a baking sheet or two and roast until the potatoes are soft and cooked through, approximately 1–1½ hours. This way of cooking the potatoes, apart from being very easy, means that you get maximum, un-watered-down flavour.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, strip away the skin and fork or squeeze and pick the flesh into a large bowl. Pour in any syrupy juices from each of the foil parcels.
4. Add all the other ingredients except for the marshmallows, and mix together to make the mash.
5. Spoon the sweet potato mash into an ovenproof dish: I use an old rectangular one of 34 x 20cm and about 6cm deep / 13½ x 8 inches and 2½ inches deep, but any you have around that size would be fine.
6. Smooth the top of the mash and cover with the mini marshmallows.
7. Bake in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes by which time the marshmallows will have coloured on top and melted together, like a rippled, bronzed duvet.

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/200°C Fan/425ºF. Prick or puncture the sweet potatoes with a fork and put them each on to a piece of foil large enough to wrap them in. I find these cook best in individual parcels, so just be prepared to make a lot of them: I find the weight above means you’re dealing with 8 or 9 potatoes in one go.
2. Divide the oil between the foil sheets and then rub or turn the sweet potatoes in it and wrap into baggy but well sealed parcels. Put them on to a baking sheet or two and roast until the potatoes are soft and cooked through, approximately 1–1½ hours. This way of cooking the potatoes, apart from being very easy, means that you get maximum, un-watered-down flavour.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, strip away the skin and fork or squeeze and pick the flesh into a large bowl. Pour in any syrupy juices from each of the foil parcels.
4. Add all the other ingredients except for the marshmallows, and mix together to make the mash.
5. Spoon the sweet potato mash into an ovenproof dish: I use an old rectangular one of 34 x 20cm and about 6cm deep / 13½ x 8 inches and 2½ inches deep, but any you have around that size would be fine.
6. Smooth the top of the mash and cover with the mini marshmallows.
7. Bake in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes by which time the marshmallows will have coloured on top and melted together, like a rippled, bronzed duvet.