Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple-thyme glaze
FROM THE CHEF:
I serve this dish at EVERY Thanksgiving & Christmas dinner at both, work, and home. I found the recipe in Cook’s Illustrated some years ago. What makes this recipe work so well is that the sweet potatoes are placed in a
cold oven. By doing this, it allows their starches to turn into sugars, providing a super sweet and tender potato with an almost crispy exterior. And it is super easy to make!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3lbs or, about 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, ends trimmed, rinsed, dried we, and sliced into ¾” rounds. (It is best to have them all the same thickness, if possible) **See canned sweet potato recipe below**
- ¼ cup maple syrup (Splurge on the good stuff if you can)
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ ground black pepper
*If you do not want to peel the sweet potatoes, scrub well before slicing.
DIRECTIONS:
- Whisk maple syrup, butter, and thyme together in a small bowl.
- Toss potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until well coated.
- Line a 13x18 baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
- Arrange potatoes on foil and cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Place potatoes in a cold oven, on the center rack.
- Turn oven on to 425* and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue to cook potatoes for another 20-25 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and brush the potatoes with ½ the glaze. Flip potatoes over and brush them with the remaining glaze.
- Place back in oven for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving to a serving platter.
- Serve with fresh thyme sprigs as a garnish. For a real treat, throw some pomegranate seeds on top for added color and texture.
- ENJOY!
Canned Sweet Potato Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- 2- 15oz. can sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (1 teaspoon dry)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350*
- Drain any excess juice from the cans.
- Mix the syrup, thyme, cinnamon, and butter together.
- Place sweet potatoes in a 2-quart baking dish.
- Pour syrup mix over the potatoes
- Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through.
