Brown Sugar Roasted Tofu + Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes

When I think of one of the best at-home holiday meals of the season, I’ll think of this - Brown Sugar Roasted Tofu + Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes. A dinner that ushered us into the Thanksgiving holiday when we were craving something “festive” and a dinner that was my girl dinner for 1 during a recent night at home to myself. It’s satisfying, it has big holiday vibes, and it has one hell of a sauce! We’re talking sauce so good you’ll want a bit of it in every bite.

When the holidays hit, we want holiday meals. During our weeknight dinners, that usually means something that has a festive nod but isn’t too complicated too make. Veggie Wellington is our signature holiday dish, but we don’t have time for that on the regular. Point of this story is that this tofu dinner whipped up quickly, was easy + fun to make, and checked all the boxes for a weeknight meal that felt festive. For me, put almost anything over a bed of whipped sweet potatoes and it’s a holiday meal. From the perfectly fluffy sweet potatoes to the savory maple sauce that’s the heart of dish - it’s giving holiday.

 
 

This sauce is actually insane. So good I was doing everything from licking the spoon to scraping out every last drop from the pan. It’s the perfect balance of salty + sweet. It gets super sticky + coats the tofu perfectly to create this whole “eat a piece of tofu like you a piece of meat” vibe. The key is roast the tofu by cutting it in the cross-hatch style (described in the recipe) so the sauce can seep into the whole thing and get deep into that tofu. My two big gotta remember this moments when it comes to this recipe is to whip about 2 tablespoons of the sauce in with the sweet potatoes to build that flavor AND to save a bit of the sauce to drizzle on at the end. Trust me - necessary.

Don’t turn on the broiler. I got a little over zealous and cranked on the broiler for just a second the first time I made this and that proved to be a bad idea. The best method - be patient, roast a small amount of the sauce with tofu at a moderate temperature, and save the rest to layer on at the end.

 
 

Such a delicious dinner. Such a fun new way to enjoy tofu! It checked a lot of boxes for being vegetarian and on the never-ending quest for fun meatless holiday meals that feel special, and this one certainly did.

For the sweet potatoes

  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled + cubed (about 2 pounds)

  • 10 sage leaves, minced

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, plus more for sprinkling on top of the tofu at the end

  • 2 tbsp heavy cream

  • 2 tbsp bourbon

  • Salt + pepper

  • Toasted pecans, for garnish

For the tofu

  • 1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed + cut in a deep cross hatch (careful not to go all the way through the block of tofu)

  • 1 tbsp EVOO

For the sauce

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tbsp Dijon

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce

  • 1/4 c. brown sugar

Start by making the sweet potatoes. Add the prepped sweet potatoes to a large pot + cover with water. Bring the water to a boil + then a gentle simmer, continuing to cook until the sweet potatoes are soft + tender.

As the sweet potatoes cook, turn the oven to 375. Place the prepped block of tofu on a baking tray lined with a piece of parchment. Brush the tofu with EVOO. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.

When the sweet potatoes are tender, drain + add the sweet potatoes to a food processor. Add in the sage, thyme, heavy cream, bourbon and a pinch of salt +pepper. Whip until perfectly smooth + airy. Add the sweet potatoes back to the saucepan + place over low heat. Cover the pot.

In a separate saucepan, add all of the sauce ingredients + bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir consistently. The sauce will thicken up quickly. When the sauce has thickened up + the sugar has dissolved in to the sauce, reduce the heat on the burn to low. Take 1 tbsp of the sauce + mix it in with the sweet potatoes.

When the cooking time on the tofu is up, remove the tofu from the oven + drizzle with about half of the sauce. Return the tofu to the oven to continue to roast with the sauce for another 10-15 minutes - watching carefully to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn.

When the tofu has finished cooking, place a scoop of the mashed sweet potatoes in warm bowls + top with half of the tofu block. Drizzle with a spoonful of the remaining sauce. Garnish with a pinch of fresh thyme + a sprinkle of toasted pecans.

Lesley ZehnerComment