Sous-Vide Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes With Pecans
Lightly sweetened with brown sugar and zipped up with bourbon, these sweet potatoes are puréed until velvety smooth, then topped with toasted pecans. Once the sweet potatoes are done, you can also keep them warm alongside the sous-vide turkey breast, if you’re making it: 145 degrees, the temperature at which the turkey breast is cooked, is the perfect temperature to hold the sweet potatoes. Cooking the sweet potatoes with a sous-vide machine is convenient when your oven is otherwise occupied, but you can also bake them. Just wrap them, peeled but whole, in foil; place on a baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for an hour or two depending upon how large the potatoes are, until very tender. Then purée as directed in Step 3.
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1cinnamon stick
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1tablespoon bourbon or apple cider
- 3pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium-large), peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- ¾cup toasted pecans, chopped (see Note)
Instructions
Step 1
In a small pot, melt butter, sugar, cinnamon stick and 1 teaspoon salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in bourbon, and let cool slightly.Step 2
In a large pot or heatproof container, use a sous-vide machine to heat water to 185 degrees. Place potatoes and cooled sugar mixture in a reusable silicone sous-vide bag or resealable plastic bag. Slowly lower the bag into the water, allowing any air to escape. Weigh down the bags; an upside-down metal steamer basket or a metal bowl work well for this, topped with a metal spoon or tongs for extra weight, if needed. Cook until sweet potatoes are completely tender, poking them several times to make sure, 75 to 90 minutes. (Check the bag after 15 minutes; you may have to let out some steam.)Step 3
Transfer cooked potatoes and all the liquid from bag to a food processor and purée until smooth. Taste and add more salt, if you like. Transfer to a serving platter and top with toasted pecans to serve.