• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Other Side of the Tortilla

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • FAQ
    • PRESS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • MEDIA KIT
    • ADVERTISE
  • RESOURCES
    • BOOKS
    • SHOP
    • INGREDIENTS
    • KITCHEN TOOLS
    • Thanksgiving
    • Mexican Christmas Traditions
  • RECIPES
You are here: Home / Recipe / Camotes al chipotle: A Mexican twist on a Thanksgiving classic

Camotes al chipotle: A Mexican twist on a Thanksgiving classic

6 · Nov 21, 2011 · 19 Comments

102 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

If you’ve spent even one Thanksgiving at an average American dinner table, you’ve likely encountered sweet potatoes or yams with some kind of brown sugar or maple syrup and a marshmallow topping. I’m not knocking the tradition—in fact, I grew up eating it and usually get a craving around this time of year—but there are lots of other interesting things you can do with sweet potatoes.

Though Thanksgiving is not a Mexican holiday, I decided to give a few traditional dishes a Mexican twist to surprise my family. This one was an instant hit, and over the years it has also become a reader favorite!

Here’s a recipe I developed to dress up the traditional sweet potatoes we usually serve on our Thanksgiving table. And, with the calorie-rich menus typically served around the holidays, this recipe is a bit healthier than traditional mashed potatoes that may be made with tons of butter and heavy cream.

Marsala is a non-traditional ingredient to Mexican cooking but adds an interesting depth and sweet, nutty flavor to this dish. The chipotle should add a smoky flavor, but not be too spicy. If you’re afraid your troops will stage a revolt at the dinner table for doing something too different, you can always cut out the chipotle and add twice the adobo sauce to weaken the chile flavor so they don’t notice too much that you’ve given them the old switcheroo on the sweet potatoes.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

Looking for other Thanksgiving recipes? Here are some of our favorites:

Mexican Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

Mexican-style Turkey Stuffing with Chorizo

Papas Gratinadas (Mexican potatoes au gratin)

Arroz Poblano

Calabacitas rellenas

Calabacitas con elote

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
camotes al chipotle // mexican sweet potatoes

Mexican-inspired sweet potatoes // Camotes al chipotle

  • Yield: Yields 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Camotes al chipotle is a whipped sweet potato dish that gets a hint of smokiness from chipotle chiles and adobo sauce. This dish is also much healthier than traditional mashed potatoes or the typical American sweet potato casserole topped with sugar and marshmallows, making it ideal for a healthy side dish at your Thanksgiving table.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, skinned and cubed
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • chipotle en adobo (1/2 of one chile and 1 tbsp adobo)
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tablespoon (also called leche evaporada)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine
  • 5 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 4 small cones of piloncillo (about 3 ounces)
  • glazed pecans and dried cranberries (optional for decoration)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. On a lined baking sheet, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the cubed sweet potatoes with the canola oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper on top and roast the sweet potatoes for about 45-60 minutes or until browned and soft.
  2. When the sweet potatoes are done roasting, remove them from the oven and let them sit for 5-7 minutes. Melt the butter, piloncillo, marsala and evaporated milk in a saucepan over low heat. Add the adobo sauce but not the chiles yet. Stir to incorporate. Once the butter and piloncillo are completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
  3. Put the roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle into a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to get a paste going. Slowly add the liquid and run until moderately smooth. Add the extra 1 tablespoon of evaporated milk to moisten if needed.
  4. Using a spatula, remove the puree from the food processor or blender and put it into an oven-proof serving dish. Garnish the top with glazed (or plain) pecans and dried cranberries. Place under a preheated broiler for a few minutes until the pecans look like they’re beginning to roast and smell nutty. Remove from the broiler and serve.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @maurahernandez on Instagram and hashtag it #TOSOTT


 

6

Holiday dish, Holidays, Recipe, side dishes, Sponsored, Video #MizkanLatino, camotes, chile chipotle, chipotle en adobo, piloncillo, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ana L. Flores says

    November 21, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    Que rico!!! I love camotes and always looking for original ways to prepare them. Yum!

    Reply
  2. Carol says

    November 21, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    Wow Maura!!! I’m definitely trying this on Thursday! Gracias, que rico!!

    Reply
  3. Monica says

    November 21, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    Oh, I love it! I am crazy about sweet potatoes, though no one else in my immediate family is. But since we are going to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving where there ought to be lots of other sweet potato loving people, maybe I’ll give this a try?

    Reply
  4. Julie Diaz Asper says

    November 22, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    I think Thanksgiving is a great time to celebrate “melting pot” cuisine. These sweet potatoes are brillant! I like the addition of pecans for crunch.

    Reply
  5. Justice Jonesie says

    November 22, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    I live for anything with sweet potatoes! This a nice twist for Thanksgiving dinner. Yum!!

    Reply
  6. Lisa Quinones-Fontanez says

    November 22, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    This looks like something my husband would absolutely LOVE – I’m going to email him this recipe and see if he’s willing to make it himself. I’m on strike this Thanksgiving. LOL

    Reply
  7. Carrie at TikiTikiBlog! says

    November 22, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    Maura, I love sweet potatoes. A lot. I didn’t know they were called camotes and I so appreciate a new way of cooking them.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
    • Joe Ray says

      November 22, 2011 at 3:48 PM

      Carrie, I included you in my comment to this recipe.
      -Joe

      Reply
  8. Alexandra says

    November 22, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    Si, yo hago lo mismo con los camotes.

    My husband is german but he has come to love what I do with the whipped yams.

    Reply
  9. Joe Ray says

    November 22, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    WOW! This looks fantastic, I leave every ingredient in this recipe. This sounds deliciously rich and tangy, especially with the piloncillos, pecans, and chipotle.

    To Carrie at TikiTiki: My mother used to also refer to camote as someone’s boyfriend, usually harrassing my sister. As in “Esta hablando con su camote por el telefono.”

    Reply
  10. Leslie @ La Cocina de Leslie says

    November 22, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    MMmmm! Que rico!!! Those camotes look delicious! I still have a bunch of camotes leftover from our latest trip to El Rancho. I’m going to have to try this. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Monica says

    November 23, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    I’m going to make this for tomorrow! If I can figure out what piloncillo is. (Don’t hit me!)

    Reply
    • Maura Hernandez says

      November 25, 2011 at 11:28 AM

      Monica, I’m glad you send a Facebook message to ask about piloncillo. No shame in not knowing! Plus with where you live, it might not be available. You can always order it online if you can’t find it in your local stores.

      Reply
  12. Viviana Hurtado/The Wise Latina Club says

    November 26, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    I love how the smokiness and spice balance out the sweetness of the potatoes. BTW, the video was edited beautifully. Nice use of natural sounds and graphics. At 2 min plus, it’s just right. ¡Brava!

    Reply
    • Maura Hernandez says

      November 27, 2011 at 8:58 PM

      Thanks, Vivi! I’m still learning a lot about shooting and editing my own video but I really like doing it. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Bren says

    November 27, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    nice twist for sure… a bit of heat to sweet potatoes is always refreshing… a great break from the traditional sweet or savory spices we add…

    Reply
  14. Elizabeth Rangel says

    November 28, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    I love sweet potatoes. I am definitely trying this dish! Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Marta says

    November 30, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    Maura,
    These look amazing! I so love sweet potatoes. I must try this!

    Besos,
    Marta

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

¡Bienvenidos!

Hi, I'm Maura Hernández. Welcome to my kitchen! I'm an award-winning food and travel blogger, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. Married to a Chilango, I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 15 years. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico! READ MORE

New recipes, fresh travel tips + more

Delivered straight to your inbox!

Copyright © 2023 The Other Side of the Tortilla on the Cravings Pro Theme

102 shares