Easy mashed sweet potatoes – a simple mash made with boiled sweet potatoes and seasoned with a hint of nutmeg making it the perfect paleo option.

Lately, I’ve been eating sweet potatoes like they’re going out of fashion. Every meal I have eaten for the past two weeks has featured sweet potatoes. They play such an essential role in my culinary life I thought, heck, why not show the masses how to make some easy mashed sweet potatoes. Did I mention that this is a sweet potato mash without milk -BONUS!!

About this easy mashed sweet potatoes recipe

Sweet potatoes are one of those veggies that’s on the fence for many people. I know why this is, it’s simply because the name renders this thought of eating a vegetable loaded in sugar that’s equivalent to eating a processed mars bar, am I correct?

Yes, while sweet potato is a starchy vegetable and just like with most starchy veggies, is a sweet high quality complex carbohydrate.

The fructose in sweet potatoes

The small amount of fructose in sweet potatoes can be a major problem for people with gastrointestinal problems as it can irritate the lying of the intestine, where the absorption process takes place and/or causes bloating.

Thankfully, I don’t have any problems consuming sweet potatoes. In spite of their questionable sugar content, they are indeed classified as a clean starch.

Many paleo and gluten free followers eat them with no problems at all because they are a nutritional powerhouse of anti oxidants, vitamin A and B6, packed with iron, magnesium and fibre.

The way a piece of sweet potato is metabolized is slightly different from how a candy bar is broken down and I think people need to pay close attention to the nutritional content as you could be missing out on something that compliments the body rather than destroys it.

How to cook this easy mashed sweet potatoes recipe

This vegan sweet potato mash is super easy,

Boil the sweet potato – simply boil the potatoes for roughly 30 minutes , until it is easy to prick with a fork. Once cooked, remove from pan, allow to cool and use a masher to crush the potatoes.

Pulse the sweet potato to make it EXTRA creamy. As a side note, to make the potato creamy pulse the potato in the food processor/mixer or using a hand held whisk.

Add some spice for flavour – I paired this sweet potato mash with my side kick nutmeg. While I am on the subject of nutmeg, there are reports of nutmeg causing psychotropic effects. I can assure that that you won’t have an adverse effect from nutmeg unless it is abused, in other words, taken in high doses and with the intent to induce a hallucinogenic state.

Nutmeg has anti viral, analgesic, antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties. It is widely used in many countries and it especially embraced in the Caribbean region unscratched.

What to serve this easy mashed sweet potatoes with

Haitian stewed chicken (Non vegan option)
Cuban turkey mince
Vegetable or legumes for a vegan option

How to make sweet potato mash healthy style (with pictures)

Boil the sweet potatoes until tender.

Then use a potato masher to breakdown the sweet potatoes into a soft puree and add the nutmeg.