Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup

These days, I'll generally pick mashed sweet potatoes over mashed potatoes. If I'm making them at home, I'll generally prepare them with some butter (of course), maybe a bit of milk or cream, and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey or sprinkle of brown sugar and perhaps a bit of cinnamon. I'm always looking for new interesting flavor combinations and came across this recipe using cardamom as I browsed through sweet potato recipes on my lunch break one day. I had just bought some cardamom to make Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings, so it was the perfect time to try this recipe, especially because it has one of my favorite ingredients, maple syrup. I used a potato ricer to "mash" the cooked sweet potatoes, creating an especially smooth and luxurious texture. Generally I associate cinnamon and nutmeg with mashed potatoes, but cardamom was a delicious and welcome change of pace that complemented the butter and maple syrup I typically use.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup
from Bon Appetit, via Epicurious

2 1/4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot; mash. Mix in butter, syrup and cardamom. Season with salt and pepper.