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Pork meatballs with sweet potato mash and bourbon-maple sauce on a plate.

Savor Pork Meatballs with Sweet Potato Mash & Bourbon-Maple Sauce

This cozy, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner features juicy pork meatballs served over creamy sweet potato mash with a sticky bourbon-maple sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 600
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Protein
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
Aromatics & Veg
  • 1 small onion, finely grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Spices & Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Sweet Potato Mash
  • 2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • to taste salt and pepper
Bourbon-Maple Sauce
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Boil the sweet potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, 15–20 minutes; drain and mash with butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Keep warm.
  2. In a large bowl, gently mix ground pork, breadcrumbs, grated onion, garlic, smoked paprika, sage, salt, pepper, and beaten egg until just combined; shape into 16–20 meatballs (~1.5" each).
Cooking
  1. Heat a skillet over medium-high with a splash of oil; brown the meatballs on all sides, about 6–8 minutes, then remove and set aside.
  2. Carefully add bourbon to the hot skillet and simmer for 30 seconds to burn off alcohol. Whisk in maple syrup, soy sauce, Dijon, chicken broth, and tomato paste; bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low, return meatballs to the skillet, and simmer for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through and sauce thickens.
  4. Plate the sweet potato mash, top with pork meatballs, and spoon the bourbon-maple sauce over everything. Garnish with fresh sage or parsley if desired.

Notes

Don’t overmix the meat; browning builds flavor. For even cooking, make meatballs uniform in size. Swap bourbon for apple cider for a kid-friendly glaze.