Nothing says special like fondant sweet potatoes. They are roasted to perfection and topped with a maple glaze. These pillowy potatoes are the perfect side dish for anything gathering.
There is something inherently fancy about hearing fondant potatoes. While they do seem a bit extra, they are actually quite easy to make. All you need is some potatoes, brother, butter and oil and a nice hot oven. Yes, I am simplifying it just a bit and while they take some time to cook the wait with very much worth it. They can be made either sweet or savory and, in this recipe, I go the sweet route. They are the perfect holiday or date night side dish to impress everyone.
In this recipe
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that almost everything will probably already be in your kitchen, so it makes for a great staple recipe when you want something easy.
Sweet potatoes: all types of sweet potatoes work well in the recipe. Just make sure you have a sheet pan large enough to fit them all.
Chicken stock: is used to produce the wonderful texture for these sweet potatoes. You can swap this out for vegetable stock for a vegan/vegetarian option.
Maple syrup: you will want to use pure maple syrup for this recipe for the best flavor and texture.
Getting everything ready
You will want to peel the sweet potatoes first. While there are some recipes that that keep the skin on. However, I feel the texture is better without the skin. Afterwards you want to make sure that slices of the sweet potatoes are about an inch thick. This is roughly the size of the tip of your finger. If they are thinner than that your potatoes will fall apart when you try and remove them from the baking sheet. Keeping them the same thickness will also allow them to cook at the same speed.
Roasting the potatoes
The first part of this recipe is to roast the potatoes like you normally would. Please make sure that all of the potatoes are in one layer and there is a little space between all of the potatoes, this will be important later. You are only roasting them for 15 minutes per side so they aren’t going to get a lot of color on them, nor will they be soft by the time the first 30 minutes are up. That is ok and how you want them to be. The magic happens in the next step.
Making fondant sweet potatoes
Now here is where all of the interesting things happen. The outsides of the potatoes will have gotten a little tough in the roasting and that makes them easier to flip because they will soften right back up. As they cook in the oven the potatoes will start to absorb some of the liquid as well as continue to soften. The humidity in the oven will also soften the outsides again. You will also start to see some browning of the potatoes when you take them out for their final flip.
Making the sauce
Once the potatoes are doing their thing in the oven you will want to get your maple sauce ready. For extra flavor you can toast the walnuts or pecans before adding the butter and syrup. Once you have toasted them, if desired, add the syrup, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once it is boiling take it off the heat and it is ready to pour all over those lovely potatoes once they are ready.
Looking for other sweet potato recipes?
Maple Fondant Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Small pan
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup butter unsalted, melted and divided
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F, 230°C or gas mark 8.
- Slice the sweet potatoes into one-inch rounds, place into a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss to evenly coat the potatoes.
- Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Then flip over and roast for another 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, thyme, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter roast for 15 minutes and then gently flip them over for a final time. Cook for 15 more minutes and remove from the oven.
- While the potatoes are cooking, in a pan combine the remaining butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.
- Place the potatoes into a swerving dish and then pour the maple syrup over the potatoes.
Nutrition
