Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter

Cook the Potatoes

1. Place the potatoes in a large, heavy pot and cover them with water. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until they are fork-tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot.

Brown the Butter

1. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. This is easiest if it is a light colored pan so that you can see the color of the butter. Continue to heat the butter, swirling the pan often as it cooks, until it starts to foam and crackle, then golden, and then toasty brown. It will take 3-5 minutes to brown once the butter is melted. The butter will smell nutty when it is finished browning - watch it carefully, as it will go from browned to burnt very quickly.

Mix and Mash

1. Once the butter has browned, immediately remove it from the heat and add it to the cooked, drained potatoes. (If your potatoes are not done yet, transfer the butter to a bowl so that it will not continue to cook.)
2. To the potatoes and butter, add the milk, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
3. With an electric mixer (or with a potato masher by hand) beat the potatoes on medium-low speed, mashing them to your preference. If the potatoes are too thick, feel free to add in a bit more milk.

Season

1. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve

1. Serve warm.