Fire Day Friday: Planked Sweet Potatoes & Butternut Squash

Everyone has seen or heard about cedar plank "smoked" salmon, right?

But one dish I have wanted to try since seeing it two years ago was cedar planked mashed potatoes. It was a blend of yukon and sweet potatoes mashed and then grilled on a cedar plank.

I finally got around to trying it tonight but used a blend of fire roasted butternut squash and sweet potato instead. Alexis gets all the credit for this dish, because while the general idea was mine, she came up with the actual recipe and execution.

Planked Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash
Source: Ms. NibbleMeThis

1/2 butternut squash
2 ea sweet potato
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar (sub brown sugar)
1 pinch nutmeg, fresh grated
1 tsp maple flavored agave nectar (sub honey)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 cedar plank, soaked for 2 hours.

Roast the squash (cut side down in a covered casserole for first 40 minutes, flip and cook uncovered the next 20 minutes) and sweet potatoes in a 375f oven for one hour.

Or if you have time on your hands, roast the squash on a grill over indirect heat (same directions) and then toss the sweet potatoes into the coals for 20 minutes.

Flip and cook another 20 minutes.

Remove it all and let cool. Scoop out the pulp of the potatoes and butternut squash. Blend together with the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and agave nectar. You can make to this point a day in advance.

Spoon the mixture onto the cedar plank and top with walnuts. Place over direct heat on the grill at 350f and cook for 20-30 minutes.

The plank will start to smoke a little but not burst into flames. The potato mixture may start to ooze a bit around the edges like this, but that's okay, it's going to caramelize.

See the crispy edges?


If serving for REAL guests (we were just playing around with the idea tonight), bring it in off the grill and place the plank on a bed of damp greens just as dinner is being served. This makes for a dramatic presentation and the greens help to make sure the wood doesn't keep burning.

Does the cedar plank "smoking" really add flavor to this dish? Honestly no. It's all presentation.

But you have to admit....it's a pretty cool presentation:)