Fiery Sweet Potatoes
Updated Nov. 17, 2025
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 5pounds sweet potatoes
- 1cup canned coconut milk
- 1tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- ½cup dark brown sugar
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1teaspoon salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
258 calories; 8 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 309 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake potatoes on sheet pan until very soft, about 75 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash.
- Step 2
In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk with curry paste over low heat. Mix coconut milk mixture, half the sugar, half the butter and salt into potatoes. Keep warm until ready to serve, or cover and refrigerate up to two days.
- Step 3
At least 30 minutes before serving, heat oven to 425 degrees. Put potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover, dot with remaining butter and sugar and broil until brown and crusty, checking often to prevent scorching.
Private Notes
Comments
I am making this but in a different presentation. Cut the sweet potatoes in 1/4 thick half moon slices. Dice up shallots and saute in oil until soft and slightly caramelized. Add the sweet potatoes and cook about 10 minutes until starting to brown. Add curry paste and coconut milk. The sweetness from the shallots eliminates the need to add sugar and using the oil instead of butter keeps it vegan friendly for guests with those preferences.
Different people have different sensitivities to hotness and spiciness (not the same). Also, curry pastes differ dramatically in heat especially between those manufactured for the US market vs. imported. I recommend adding heat it in like salt--bit by bit to taste. You can always add but not take away. The foodies are more assimilated to using recipes as guideline rather than prescription. It does not give license to be snotty or condescending. Give credit for trying the new.
My cousin and I made this for our family Thanksgiving celebration where the menu has been the same for 25 years. We convinced my mom not to make a back-up dish, adding to the pressure! Fortunately, we were successful -- it was loved by all and will be back next year! However, we made major modifications to make it Indian-palate friendly: 8 oz curry paste (2 for topping), fresh ginger (per the suggestion of another reviewer), and a lot of cayenne and crushed red pepper (to taste).
Warning - variation of the recipe. Caught my eye with 2 favorite flavors - sweet potato/thai red curry paste. Didn't want 12 servings, didn't have all ingredients didn't want to take the time to bake a sweet potato So: Microwave sweet potato until soft. Scoop out sweet potato into a microwavable bowl and mash with plain yogurt and milk (ran out of yogurt), butter, brown sugar, curry paste to taste. Reheat in microwave if needed. Absolutely sublime!! So many ways to tweak this.
This was SO good. I made a half-batch as the recipe described, but with reduced-fat coconut milk and a little extra curry paste. I'm not 100% convinced it needs the brown sugar, and I also wondered if maple syrup would be a flavorful swap: the curry paste has a smoky quality to it that maple syrup might elevate. This recipe is a definite make again.
Used an immersion blender to add a silkier texture after it cooled and before the final cooking. The perfect accompaniment to Tandori Turkey