Sweet Potato Casserole unlike any you’ve seen before! Creamy savoury mashed sweet potato with pockets of browned butter, a crunchy parmesan-breadcrumb-sage topping sprinkled with crumbled bacon. Sinfully decadent and unapologetically rich, no marshmallows in sight!!!
Mashed potato bake is a side dish made for holiday gatherings like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter, and Sunday Suppers with family and friends. Make ahead and feeds loads!
Sweet Potato Casserole
I am beyond excited to share with you this sweet potato casserole!! I mean, plain mashed sweet potatoes have a place in this world – for everyday midweek meals.
But imagine the possibilities when you mash up sweet potato with parmesan, sour cream and butter, swirl it into a baking dish with drizzles of browned butter, top it with a crunchy parmesan breadcrumb topping littered with crunchy bits of sage THEN finish it with crumbled bacon…….
The smell when it’s baking in the oven, that insane golden crunchy topping calling for you to crack through it and reveal that sinfully creamy, butter mashed sweet potato underneath…
Here she is. Calling your name!!
If you’re new to mashed potato bakes, welcome to your new obsession. It’s not just practical – reheats 100% perfectly, just as good made ahead as it is fresh on the day.
And it’s also outrageously delicious. I’m talking OMG-I-feel-sick-but-I-can’t-stop-eating-it good (and that’s a direct quote from a friend).
What you need for sweet potato casserole
Here’s what you need. Nothing nothing unusual here. Don’t have sage? Skip it, use another herb or dried herbs instead (options in the recipe).
How to make it
Roast it, mash it, swirl it, drizzle it, sprinkle it, bake it.
Psst. Scoring a mouthful of sweet potato with a fully sealed pocket of browned butter inside feels like winning the lottery. It’s a swoon worthy moment that you just need to hope for. You cannot game the system.
Crunchy on the top, creamy underneath, the contrasting textures is one of the things that makes this SO GOOD!!!
What to serve with mashed sweet potato bake
This is a dish that’s designed for making ahead and sharing with family and friends. I have special occasion meals in mind because it’s a little….ummm (she subtly coughs)….shall we say indulgent than your everyday potato sides? Just a wee bit more butter than your everyday mash? 😇
I see it alongside a grand roast turkey, a golden turkey breast dripping with herb & garlic butter. Alongside the most perfect Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib), a Pork Roast with the most incredible juicy flesh and impossibly crispy crackling. A fall apart slow roasted lamb shoulder, or a perfectly cooked lamb leg that’s blushing pink on the inside.
For more ideas for your Sunday Supper or holiday feasting, head to one of these recipe collections:
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Savoury Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet potato mash:
- 1.75kg / 3.5lb sweet potato (3 large or 6 smaller ones)
- 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan , freshly grated
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Browned butter & crispy sage:
- 250g / 8oz butter , salted, cut into 2cm/1" cubes
- 15 sage leaves (Note 1)
Topping:
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan , finely grated
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
- 150g / 5oz bacon , streaky, cooked until golden then finely chopped
Instructions
Bake & mash:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Place potatoes on a foil lined tray. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes (small) to 1 hour 40 minutes (large) until knife can be easily inserted into the centre.
- Cool potatoes until they can be handled (but still piping hot inside!) or use tea towel to handle.
Browned Butter & crispy sage:
- Meanwhile, place butter in a large silver saucepan over medium heat.
- Once melted and starts to foam, add sage leaves. Cook 1 minute or until golden brown, then fish through the foam to find the leaves and drain on paper towels (will crisp when cool).
- Continue to leave butter on stove until foam dies down and you see black bits on the bottom of the pan (it will smell nutty).
- Strain through paper towel lined sieve - should have 180ml or so.
Topping:
- Crumble sage leaves in your hand (chop if not fully crisp) and place in bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup Browned Butter, panko, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper, mix.
Mash:
- Cut slits down the middle of the potatoes then scoop flesh out into a bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup Browned Butter (below), sour cream, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mash or use electric beater to mash until smooth (if using food processor, be careful not to overdo as it will make potato gluey).
Assemble & bake:
- Place half the potato in a baking dish (2 litre / 2 quarts). Make swirls across surface with spoon (as catchment for butter!), then drizzle over 1/4 cup Browned Butter. Cover the butter pools with remaining potato - the less you disturb the butter, the better!
- Sprinkle over Topping. Bake 25 minutes until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling.
- Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, then bake a further 5 minutes. If you've got any leftover butter, drizzle it on then serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Flashback to Melbourne Cup Lunch – he got to was forced to try on everyone’s fascinator!!! 😂
I made this the other night for a belated Thanksgiving dinner. The sage just didn’t brown no matter hot long I kept it in the bubbling butter. When little black dots started to form on the leaves, I quickly removed them to drain on a paper towel. Despite this, the recipe came out delicious (even without the bacon). It was an excellent alternative to a sweet yam dish. It had the sweetness of the yams but wasn’t overly sugary or syrupy.
Any advice about the sage leaves?
Hi Sharon, that’s really strange with the sage leaves! Sounds like the butter was burning before the sage got a chance to get crispy, you may need to reduce the heat and keep them in for longer. I’m so glad you still enjoyed it though!
Hey, Nagi Nation!
You’ve got to make this dish for you next gathering! I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit with the whole family. I served it with Nagi’s garlic herb roasted turkey breast, and the two paired perfectly. 🙂
Perfect Ron, I’m so glad it was a hit!!
This was the best sweet potato casserole I have ever had! I cannot stand the marshmallow casseroles but I love sweet potato fries so I was really excited about this recipe. I accidentally forgot the bacon so we made bacon for the leftovers haha!! Excellent either way. Thanks again, it is already on my menu for next year’s Thanksgiving!
Perfect Alexis!!!
Finishing this up now for tonight’s dinner. I made the mash last night and now I’m doing the topping. The mash tasted delicious so I’m sure the whole thing will be great! One question though, in the ingredient list, you have garlic in the mash, but then in the instructions it goes in the topping. Which is correct? I put it in the mash, but I’m sure either way is fine. I’ll assemble and bake shortly!
I’m interested in the answer to this as well… I put mine in the topping instead. Love to know which is correct, though I suspect both are delicious.
Hi Sherry, it should be in the mashed potatoes, but I wont lie, I love garlic so it can go in both 😂
I can’t begin to tell you how delicious this is. Well, technically I wouldn’t know since they are for tonight’s Thanksgiving dinner…. but there might be a spoonful or two missing from the pan! Thanks again, Nagi, for another great recipe.
I need to know how to make good and sweet candi yams. What do I need to do.
Hi Barbara, feel free to pop any requests on my recipe request page 🙂
As usual you never disappoint. This was total perfection. It is going on the list for our Christmas dinner.
Perfect Jan – I hope you love it!
You think I could sub pecorino romano for the Parmesan?
Hi Nagi,
Is it worth making this recipe if I don’t use bacon?
Thanks,
Sharon
Yes it’s still amazing without Sharon!
Hi! I want to make this the night before thanksgiving. Any tips on prepping and baking the next day?
Yes, it’s all in the recipe notes Vanessa 🙂
Wow, your life is anything but dull. Very much enjoyed reading your update and had a little chuckle at you describing your mom’s comments. You must get such a kick out of her. I too would love to hear more about France – recommendations perhaps. I do so wish to go there.
I made this last night with the creamy sun dried tomato chicken… I should have paid better attention to the video because it took everything in me NOT to add garlic! I wanted to stay true to your amazingness… Which is the highest complement because I NEVER follow a recipe precisely! It was another delicious Nagi Night! I seriously fix your recipes for dinner SEVERAL times a week!! THANK YOU!! ❤️
I see in the ingredient picture page a small bowl of garlic, but no mention in the written ingredients – also not in the instructions. But;, I do see you adding it to the mash in the video. I gave this glorious casserole five stars only because 10 was not available. Sweet Dozer. Wow, what a cutie patootie face!
Sorry Mimi! Added to recipe 🙂 N x
I loved reading your “Life Update” and wish you and Dozer the best. This Savory Sweet Potato bake looks amazing – can’t wait to try it! Your recipes “grace” my table weekly and never disappoint. Give Dozer a big hug.
From a gal who rarely ears potatoes and mashes them about once a year . . . I do love the sweet ones and this, rich or not, is too tempting not to make ! Let my friends enjoy and I shall try remember ‘portion control’ whilst enjoying the aroma 🙂 ! . . .
My mouth was watering watching the video. Yum! And congrats on all your big life moment!
Well Nagi, How can you say your life is dull. It was so good to hear all your wonderful news and hope everything goes to plan with the house and book. Your recipes are always welcome and I have made so many now there are too many to say which are favourites. Love to you and Dozer. Coral