Brandy and Orange Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I know some people are going to think this is just a winter holiday thing, but I love making these sweet potatoes year round.  The orange lends a freshness and brightness that really makes it work any time of year.  Bring on the 4th of July sweet potatoes!  If the brandy freaks you out a little (or you just don't have any), you can make it without.  Obviously it's not quite the same, but it is still really good.  Also, I note below that this serves 6-8.  I only have six 8 oz ramekins so I just go with that, but they are pretty good sized servings (you can see how full they are in the picture), so you can definitely go with eight and be just fine.  Also also, don't let the time commitment scare you away.  An hour of that is just baking the sweet potatoes--easy peasy, no hands-on stuff needed there.

Brandy and Orange Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Number of Servings: 6-8
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 40 minutes

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3 Tbsp brandy (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Pierce potatoes a few times with the tip of  knife, wrap potatoes in foil and bake until tender, about 1 hour (a little longer if they are especially large).  Remove from the oven and let rest until just cool enough to handle.

Lower the oven to 350 degrees.

While still somewhat hot, peel the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Discard the skins and tough, stringy fibers. Add the butter, and with an electric mixer, beat until the butter is melted and thoroughly mixed in. Add the sugar, eggs, orange juice, heavy cream, and brandy, and mix until smooth. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix well.

Grease six or eight (8 oz) ramekins and spoon the sweet potato mixture into the ramekins. Bake until puffed and slightly golden, about 20 minutes (up to about 25 minutes if only using six ramekins).

Source: slightly adapted from foodnetwork.com
Produce Used: Sweet potato, orange