Growing up, I hated sweet potatoes.
Let me rephrase that.
Growing up I never tried a sweet potato, but I was sure they were terrible. Being all orange and what not. And sweet? Who wants a sweet potato?
But being the ‘good’ mom and all, I bought one when my son was starting to eat solid foods and cooked and pureed it for him. And then tried it myself.
Huh. Pretty good!
I now try to keep sweet potatoes, in some version, in my meal plans each month and the following recipe is our good (and easy) standby.
Maple Sweet Potatoes
While chopping potatoes, place 2 Tbsp of the butter onto the pan and put it in the oven while it preheats to 350°. Once butter has melted, place the chopped potatoes on the pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
When soft, add the additional 3 Tbsp of butter to the pan to melt and drizzle with the maple syrup. Stir until well coated, sprinkle with salt (and optional cinnamon), and bake for and additional 5-10 minutes.
The deep rich flavor of the maple syrup complements the sweet potatoes perfectly!
Recipe: Maple Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes skinned and cubed
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- optional – ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- While chopping potatoes, place 2 Tbsp of the butter onto the pan and put it in the oven while it preheats to 350°.
- Once butter has melted, place the chopped potatoes on the pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
- When soft, add the additional 3 Tbsp of butter to the pan to melt and drizzle with the maple syrup.
- Stir until well coated, sprinkle with salt (and optional cinnamon), and bake for and additional 5-10 minutes.
Odd question – Have you ever tried sourghum syrup? I only ask because it’s available here and is much less expensive than real maple syrup. I’ve been mustering my courage to try some.
@Alexis, Personally I have not, but know many people who have and they like it. I haven’t priced it out lately, but I think it’s the opposite for me here! Though I’m actually planting sorghum in my garden this year and would like to try and make my own in the fall!
no need to put marble with sweet potato,it is vary sweet
do not put th butter during cooking
after you baked the potato you can put the buter while the potato is hot sp it melt over it
finaly you can put pinch of sea salt over
Like you, I didn’t eat sweet potatoes growing up. I didn’t start eating them until 7 years ago, but now I love them. With maple syrup and butter? Total yum. 🙂
Shirley
I was made to eat them growing up and hated it. Dear mom would even try hiding in stir fry (which we loved stir fry) after having tried to feed it to us with butter and brown sugar, but to no avail, I’d pick it out everytime. To be honest, as an adult I have tried so many times to like it and I just can’t. It is one veggie I just feel gets stuck in my throat and won’t go down no matter what way it’s prepared.
@Deanna, Hahaha. We all have something we can’t stomach don’t we?
How come you peel your sweet potatoes? Have you ever tried them with the peel on? Sweet potato skin is very tender (and probably really nutritious . . . I’m just assuming, I don’t know for a fact) so I never remove it. I looooooove sweet potatoes, but I’ve never tried it with cinnamon . . . I’ll have to give it a try!
@Kathleen Quiring, I dunno. 🙂 Guess it’d save me time to leave them on huh? The first recipe I tried when making sweet potatoes recommended it and so I just always have! You’re right though – probably nutritious……
Next time, they’ll be with the skins on!
Yum! I wanted sweet potatoes on my market run this week but there weren’t any organic ones available, so we are sans sp. After reading this… I really want some, NOW!
Those Look AMAZING!
Oh my goodness!! I made these last night (with a few minor anumstjedts due to lack of ingredients) and they were absolutely delicious!! I was surpised as I would not have thought anything other than brown sugar and cinnamon would have worked on sweet potatoes. I did not have any cumin or chipotle chili powder so I left those out all toghether, and I did not have any garlic so just used garlic powder. Also, due to laziness, I only seasoned one side of the smashe potatoes. They were so good, I cannot even describe it. The way the potatoes crisp up and the sugar carmelizes the spice mixture yum! This should seriously be a recipe in a fancy steakhouse. I will definitely make this again and again and again. Thank you for sharing!!!