Potato and Sweet Potato Mash with No Sugar

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Sneak Peek: This Potato and Sweet Potato Mash recipe combines white mashed potatoes with mashed sweet potatoes to create a beautiful, tasty side dish that’s not overly sweet and cloying.

Mashed Sweet and White Potatoes garnished with parsleyPin

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Are you tired of sweet potato casseroles that make you want a can of Redi-Whip to top them off?

I love a good sweet potato pie—for dessert. But when I’m eating turkey, roast beef, or even green bean casserole, it doesn’t seem fitting to plop a brown sugar, butter-saturated spoonful of sweet potatoes down next to them.

If you feel the same way, this recipe is a beautiful alternative.

Three Reasons Why Mixing Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes Is a Good Idea

So often, a dish of 100% sweet potatoes can be a little much.

  1. Adding white potatoes seems to mellow out the sweet potatoes. They also complement each other in texture and taste.
  2. If you’re trying to cut back on gravy, this recipe is an excellent way to go. Again, the sweet potatoes add flavor.
  3. If you have a lonely potato or two sitting on your kitchen counter, add it to potatoes of the other color. For example, if you only have one or two sweet potatoes, make up the difference with more white potatoes. It doesn’t matter. (Here’s another idea for a lonely potato: Perfected Potato Burger Buns Mixed in a Bread Machine or these Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls)

Mashed Sweet and White Potatoes in a dish garnished with thymePin

What Do I Serve with This Side Dish?

Whenever you would typically serve mashed potatoes, this is an excellent time to try this casserole. Try a little gravy over the top.

Don’t save this dish for the fall and winter holidays alone.  It’s perfect with grilled meats–especially something spicy like sausage.


How To Make White and Sweet Potato Mash

cooking sweet potatoes and white potatoes on the stovePin
Place peeled and cut white potatoes in the bottom of the pan, then the peeled and chunked sweet potatoes on top. Cover all the potatoes with water. Then add salt. Boil until fork-tender.
separating sweet potatoes from white potatoesPin
Pour potatoes into a colander to drain—separate sweet potatoes into another bowl.
using a ricer for sweet potatoesPin
Use a potato ricer or masher to “mash” the potatoes. (A ricer leaves fewer lumps. I love the potato ricer pictured and use it in several recipes like these refried black-eyed peas.)
adding butter and warm milk to potatoesPin
Add butter and warmed milk to each bowl. Mix until smooth.
Adjusting seasonings to mashed potatoesPin
Adjust seasonings.
how to swirl sweet potatoes and white potatoesPin
Add one dish to the other and give it a quick swirl. Pour into a serving dish and serve immediately.
Bowl of White and Sweet Potato Mash with serving spoon
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Optional: Garnish with chopped parsley.

FAQ’s about Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

Can I substitute yams for sweet potatoes?

I don’t recommend it. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They are not even in the same family as sweet potatoes. In the United States, I rarely see yams in the grocery store unless it is a specialty market.

Can I use white sweet potatoes or purple sweet potatoes for the orange ones?

White sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes (if you can find them) are interchangeable. However, both varieties are denser and starchier.

The novelty of the orange and white colors will be for naught if you use the white sweet potatoes. The purple potatoes may bleed into the white potatoes when you make the swirl if you boil them first.

How do you prevent the colors from bleeding if you use purple potatoes? Mary-Frances Heck, the author of Sweet Potatoes(paid link), suggests roasting, sauteing, or frying.

What variety of white potatoes is the best for this recipe?

Yukon Gold or Russets are best, in that order. The variety and age of your potatoes affect how much milk you need to add. Start with less and add more milk to get the best texture.

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

No, you can leave them unpeeled if you prefer. Scrub the potatoes well and cut them into chunks. Leaving the skins on will give some texture and extra fiber.

Suit yourself on this one. You can peel both types of potatoes (specified in the recipe), or just the sweet potatoes, or don’t peel (but do scrub) at all.

I had to buy a BIG bag of potatoes. Any ideas for the other potatoes?

Don’t miss these Spicy Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Balls, Skinny Baked Sweet Potato Chips, or Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes.

Any suggestions for leftovers?

Freeze the leftovers in small portions of ½ cup each and make sweet potato rolls.


Parting thoughts: Because these potatoes aren’t full of sugar, I enjoy them throughout the year as a change from the more common bowl of mashed potatoes. I hope you do, too.


More Recipes for Potato Lovers:

Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Sweet and White Potato SwirlPin
Yield: 6 servings

Potato and Sweet Potato Mash Recipe

White potatoes and sweet potatoes are cooked together, mashed separately, then swirled together to make an interesting and tasty side dish.

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5 from 69 votes
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Video

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ pounds (680 g) white potatoes peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 ½ pound (680 g) sweet potatoes peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (84 g) butter divided
  • cup (162 ⅔ g) warmed milk divided
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Place 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) white potatoes into the bottom of a saucepan, then 1 1/2 pound (680 g) sweet potatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Barely cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.
  • Drain potatoes. Remove sweet potatoes from the pan and place them into another bowl. Place white potatoes back into your original pan and let them dry while you mash the sweet potatoes. For this step, I put on plastic gloves to remove the hot sweet potatoes.
  • Mash the sweet potatoes your favorite way. (I use a ricer, but a potato masher or portable mixer is also good.)
  • Start with about 2 tablespoons of the 2/3 cup (162 ⅔ g) warmed milk and half of 6 tablespoons (84 g) butter. Add more milk, if needed, to make potatoes creamy and smooth but not runny. Taste to see if they need more salt. Add freshly ground pepper (1/8 teaspoon)
  • Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the white potatoes. Again, start with about 2 tablespoons of milk and the remaining butter. Add more milk, as needed, until the consistency matches your sweet potatoes. Taste to see if they need more salt. Add freshly ground pepper (1/8 teaspoon)
  • Plop mashed sweet potatoes back into the pan with mashed white potatoes. Make a couple of folds with a spoon to barely mix. Move to a serving dish being careful not to mix too much.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 899mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 16484IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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16 Comments

  1. I’ve been making “orange mashed potatoes” for my kids for YEARS. We love them this way. the only difference is I always and I tiny bit of ranch or sour cream or both, and some garlic salt as opposed to just salt. Gravy or no gravy, my kids LOVE these.

    1. Hi Shelly,

      Your modifications sound delicious. I so glad you took the time to share.

  2. I had the same idea. Somebody gave me a couple cans of sweet potatoes/yams (I know they aren’t the same thing but people want to MASH the two, heh, so let’s let them) and I had before just ate them by themselves and didn’t like them. I was going to either regift the cans to a foodbank or someone else, or use them in a recipe. Mixing them in with mashed regular potatoes, which I love, was my easier idea, since I am NOT a cook/chef. I figured it would be a nice color addition and would get rid of them easiest, lol! Will try!

    1. Hi Nan,
      Another delicious thing to do with sweet potatoes is to use them in breadmaking. See this recipe.

  3. I had this same idea. So I searched it to see who else had the same idea. I’m not alone! Thank you!

  4. I mixchunks together but I have never mixed mashed. I must try this. I bet it is terrific.

    1. Chunks would be good too–and one less step.

  5. What a great idea. And also a great way to sneak in some great vitamins!

  6. Fantastic! I really like the idea of mixing the two. I love sweet potatoes but the rest of the family not so much. I think this would be a great option for us all and just maybe they will love the two mixed together. Your pictures are beautiful.

  7. I’ve never thought of that! They look beautiful and I imagine they taste just as good!

  8. That’s like mixing white flour and whole wheat (they just go together). They play nice. They (I imagine) taste divine together. What a great idea mixing – I’ve never seen that before! Agree – sweet potatoes in the summer are sliced into fries and baked (at my house) – but other than that – holiday time! Great recipe and beautiful photographs!

  9. sir jorge says:

    now that sounds amazing

  10. Jess--Sugar High says:

    Potatoes are my favorite food. I think this looks wonderful! Great idea. I can’t wait to make potatoes like this, I think I may use red potatoes in place of the white. Thanks for sharing!

  11. these look yummy! hey, do you have your homemade noodles documented anywhere on this website? you know that this recipe needs to be in the cookbook at some point! i wonder if these potatoes would be good with the noodles?

  12. What a great idea! I love that recipe!

    Have a nice day!
    Paula

  13. What a cool idea! I am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes by themselves so I think I would like this recipe. Thanks!