Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Recipe No. 634 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Potatoes, sweet — 40 pounds
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed

Milk, evaporated — 3—14½ ounce cans

• Water, potato (for milk) — ½ to 1½ pints (⅓ to 1 mess kit cup)

Butter — 8 ounces (¼ No. 56 dipper)

• Sugar, granulated — 6 to 8 ounces (¼ to ⅓ mess kit cups)
• Salt — 3 to 4 ounces (6 to 8 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

1. Wash sweet potatoes; pare.
2. Cover sweet potatoes with boiling salted water. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer until tender. Drain.
3. Mash well.
4. Mix milk and potato water; heat.
5. Add milk, butter and sugar to potatoes; beat well. Add salt and pepper; mix well.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Potatoes, sweet — 3 lb 3¼ oz Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water, potato (for milk) — scale to taste (½ to 1½ pints (⅓ to 1 mess kit cup)) Butter — ⅔ oz Sugar, granulated — ½ to 8 ounces Salt — scale to taste (3 to 4 ounces (6 to 8 mess kit spoons)) Pepper — to taste

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 634, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.