Pineapple Sweet Potatoes are a Thanksgiving classic at our house. Mashed with brown sugar and baked in the oven, they’re satisfying, with a hint of warmer climes.
I have a secret love for vintage recipes. Not just any vintage recipes, but the weird ones that must have been invented by some sort of evil ’60s Stepford Wife who was drunk with her own kitchen power. Either that or it was really a secret plot hatched by unhappy housewives, trying to get all of their family members to ask them never to cook again. I mean, that’s genius, really.
I can just imagine a dark-side Betty Draper gleefully sculpting a pink fish out of mixed tuna and gelatin, or pouring Hollandaise Sauce over bananas with a maniacal laugh, or spending hours creating a beautiful pineapple out of liverwurst like buddy from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and his mashed potatoes. The more unlikely food combos, bad lighting and attempted fancy styling, the better!
I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
These don’t look appetizing to you?
Seriously though, if these don’t make you feel deeply uncomfortable, mayyyybe you should start evaluating your life choices.
Hats off to the women with the ovaries to put this on the table. Stick it to the patriarchy, one meal at a time.
Mostly what I love about these recipes is that these women took what they had on hand and they experimented. They were inventive and FEARLESS. They came up with weird combinations and they made it work. Not only that, but they made recipes that were accessible to most women. If all you could afford was aspic, mayonnaise and spam, they still had you covered. Ketchup!
While I’m not brave enough to try any of those glorious masterpieces myself, I do have a recipe that looks wonderfully vintage. I don’t know why, but to me there’s something about the strange mix of sweet potatoes and pineapple, that make it just flashy enough for maniacal Betty Draper to pull off. It’s a family recipe that my grandmother served every year for Thanksgiving, and it’s so delightfully retro that it would not surprise me if it originally came from a 1950s McCall’s or Betty Crocker cookbook!
First, boil those sweet potatoes until they’re soft, and carefullyyyy peel them.
Then mix with butter, brown sugar and strained pineapple!
Next, smush it all down in your oldest 9×13 pan.
Then top with pineapple slices. Sprinkle more brown sugar on top, and bake that baby until it’s piping hot!
And voila! A simple side dish that brings some of the tropics to your house (because nothing says Thanksgiving like pineapple)! It’s seriously so delicious, and definitely one of the easier dishes to throw together on a busy morning! These pineapple sweet potatoes make the perfect companion to a savoury turkey.
All it’s missing is the gelatin. Maybe next Thanksgiving! Watch out, family…
What’s your favourite vintage dish? Please share! The crazier the better!
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 20 oz . (567g.) crushed pineapple
- 8 sliced pineapple rings
- 1/4 c . + 1/4c. light brown sugar , divided
- 4 Tbsp margarine or butter
- OPTIONAL: maraschino cherries
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Set a large pot of water on the stove over medium high heat. Bring to a boil.
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Drain the crushed pineapple.
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Wash the sweet potatoes, and place them directly in the boiling water with the skins still on.
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Boil for 45 minutes, or until they're completely soft.
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Drain the water, carefully peel the skins off the sweet potatoes (don't burn yourself!)
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Mash the sweet potatoes, and add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, margarine and crushed pineapple. Continue mashing until all mixed together.
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Heat the oven to 350°.
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Lightly grease a 9x13 pan, and spoon the sweet potato mixture into it, levelling it off at the top.
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Sprinkle the second 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar over the rest.
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Place the pineapple rings on top, and the optional maraschino cherries in the centres of the rings.
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Bake for 20 minutes, or until the brown sugar has melted.
