[This post is sponsored by French’s! I’m partnering with them again to create a delicious Thanksgiving dish with their brand new Crispy Fried Jalapeños (< omg!!!) and I can’t wait for you to taste them! #holidaywithfrenchs]

Do you SEE that?! It’s a savory sweet potato casserole!

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

My brain might be exploding.

So – I love love love sweet potato casserole. It’s a fairly recent love, like about four years ago when I first created this lightened up sweet potato casserole is exactly when I fell hard. Both of my grandmothers used to make a (very different) version of sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and I totally wasn’t into it.

I WAS MISSING SO MUCH!

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

Even though I enjoy the classic dish, there are the very, very, very few times that it’s almost just a leeeettle too sweet for me. For instance, sometimes for Thanksgiving dinner I want it on a separate plate – or on my plate after I’ve finished the first plate – because it practically tastes like dessert.

You totally know what I mean. Right?

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

The other thing is that while Eddie adores sweet potatoes (we probably eat them two or three days a week), he has zero desire to eat them when topped with sugar and pecans. And even marshmallow. He doesn’t even like the marshmallow!

The first time he told me that, I almost fell over. Hello, who WOULDN’T want toasty,  melty marshmallows all over their sweet potatoes?

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

Anyhoo.

Here I am. Solving the problem!

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

I’m partnering with French’s today because there is such a thing as Crispy Fried Jalapeños.

OH

MY

GOSH.

Jalapeños! You know, like the crispy onions?!

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

I’ve died and gone to heaven, you guys. These are out of this world.  I thought that I loved the crispy onions but my life is forever changed right now.

It’s almost like these crispy jalapeños are ever so sliiiightly sweet too, but first you have the crunch and then you have the heat. And maybe just a touch of sweetness.

They are SO good. eeeeep!

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

I knew they’d just WORK in a savory sweet potato casserole. First, I swirled bacon grease into the potatoes. I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me. (< name it!)

Basically I’m never not doing that again.

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

Lots of garlic and salt and pepper too. The potatoes are still inherently sweet though, of course, so I knew I had to go all out on the toppings. Crunchy bacon, caramelized shallots, and big old handfuls of the Crispy Fried Jalapeños.

It has texture. Loads of flavor. The ever-so-perfect balance of the sweet and savory. It might not be the most photogenic dish, but t is your taste buds’ dream. I promise.

savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

5 from 5 votes
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Place the sweet potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.
  • While the potatoes are boiling, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crispy and the fat is rendered. Once crispy, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the potatoes and leave the rest of the grease in the skillet.
  • Add the shallots to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt and the brown sugar. Cooking over low heat, stirring often, until golden and caramel, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
  • Take two tablespoons of the bacon grease and add it to the potatoes. Add the  butter, half and half, salt and pepper and blend using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer!) or mash with a potato masher until totally smooth.
  • Spoon the sweet potatoes into an 8×8 inch baking dish. Top with the caramelized shallots and crispy bacon. Sprinkle on the panko. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the French’s® Crispy Fried Jalapeños. Place the dish back in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly before serving!
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savory sweet potato casserole I howsweeteats.com

Now this needs to go in a grilled cheese.