The 3-Ingredient Side Dish I Make Every Thanksgiving

While my mom scurries around the kitchen cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I’m nibbling on pimento-stuffed olives, playing Monopoly with my cousins, and waiting as patiently as possible for my favorite meal of the year. When it is finally time to fill my plate, I know what I’m going for first: sweet potatoes. Mom cubes them and cooks them on the stovetop—they’re soft and slightly sweetened. 

After moving across the country, I was pleasantly surprised to eat my mother-in-law's sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. They reminded me of Mom’s, yet seemed easier to make. These sweet potatoes were also cubed and slightly sweetened, but instead of stirring them on the stove, she roasted them in butter and brown sugar in the oven. I’ve carried this tradition to my own Thanksgiving table, and it’s still the first dish I reach for.

I like that these sweet potatoes, unlike sweet potato casserole, differ in texture from mashed potatoes, are made in one bowl, and save the marshmallows for the pumpkin pie. This 3-ingredient sweet potato dish balances out the salty, savory turkey and stuffing while leaving room for dessert.

Tips for Success

The goal is for the potatoes to have a light glaze of butter and sugar, some slight browning on the outside, and a pillowy center without falling apart. Here are a few tips for ensuring perfect results:

• Equal-sized cubes: The hardest part of the recipe is cutting the sweet potatoes into cubes, which is not especially difficult. You want them to be bite-sized: not too large or too small. I find that 1/2-inch cubes work the best.
• Use a nonstick pan: I prefer a nonstick baking pan for this recipe. Essentially, we are making a simple caramel, and some bits can get stuck to the pan. If not using a nonstick pan, butter the dish and lower the heat to 375°F. 
• Bake until completely cooked: This may sound obvious, but I’ve almost undercooked these potatoes multiple times! By fork tender, I mean that the fork should go through the whole cube without effort. I recommend testing a couple of different ones to be sure the inside is completely tender.

Make It Ahead

If you want to decrease your stress level on Thanksgiving day, you can prep this side dish ahead of time. Follow the recipe as written, allow it to cool, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Transfer to a baking dish and reheat in the oven at 350°F until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. 

If you don’t want to make the whole dish ahead of time, you can cube the potatoes one day in advance and store them in water to keep from discoloring. Pat dry before using.