If you are looking for a Thanksgiving side dish, look no further. This sweet potato and caramelized onion skillet is the perfect thing to compliment a turkey dinner. Or a ham dinner for that matter.
The caramelized onion and the sweet potatoes go together, “like peas and carrots.” And to just take this dish a little over the top, I added some diced golden delicious apple to provide a little more sweetness. The combination makes for a savory and tasty side dish.
The most time consuming part of preparing this is the time it takes to caramelize the onion. Low and slow is the way to make the sweetness of the onion come through and it takes 15 or 20 minutes to achieve this. Once the onion is done, the sweet potatoes cook up really fast.
I actually made this two nights in a row. The first time I made it, I mixed in some fresh grated ginger and smokey paprika. Although this was good, both Mary Jo and I thought that the smokey paprika was too strong of a flavor. The next night I took more of a traditional sweet forward approach which I much preferred. By adding just a small amount of brown sugar gave the dish a slight sweetness but didn’t interfere with the taste of the apple and caramelized onion.
Sweet potato and caramelized onion skillet would be a perfect compliment to your Thanksgiving turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lg. onion , sliced
- 2 medium sized sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2 in. cubes, (1 1/2 lbs.)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tsp light. brown sugar
- (1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger, optional)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 golden delicious apples , cored and diced into 1/2 in. cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley garnish
Instructions
- In a large, lidded skillet, place oil and butter on medium low and add onion and a pinch of salt.
- Cook while stirring occasionally until the onions are lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high/medium high and add the sweet potatoes, stir to keep from burning, while darkening the caramelized onions and slightly browning the potatoes, 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the garlic, brown sugar, and water, cover and simmer 7 minutes.
- Add the apples to the skillet, stir in and cover for 3 more minutes.
- Uncover the skillet, check the apple for softness and cook longer if desired, and also adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.
This is a great side dish. While I didn’t care for it with smoked paprika, I thought the bright taste of fresh ginger went really well with the sweet potatoes and onions.
This sounds like a very interesting way to combine a sweet potato an onion and an apple. We are looking forward to trying it and stepping up our Thanksgiving dinner!