maple roasted sweet potatoes with pecans

If you've followed this blog for a while then you probably know that I'm a firm believer in roasting vegetables. They become tender, sweet, and their flavor increases in depth and complexity as the natural sugars caramelize. It's a beautiful thing.

Not to mention it's easy. Just coat the vegetables in whatever herb, spice, or other flavoring you want, spread 'em out on a baking sheet, and throw them into the oven. And that's exactly what you need on Thanksgiving Day, right? Something that you can just throw into the oven and forget about as you prepare the rest of the meal.

You can get double duty out of your oven by roasting these sweet potatoes while you cook other dishes. Just be aware that lower temperatures and having multiple items in the oven mean a longer cooking time. I roasted mine at 350 (because that's what it was set at for the turkey) and they took about 45 minutes to roast. If they're in the oven alone, I'd go for 400 degrees. Hotter temperatures will also brown and caramelize the edges better, so keep that in mind. The point is, they're flexible!




Total Recipe cost: $5.28
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Cost per serving: $0.88
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30-45 min. Total: 55 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
3 medium (about 3 lbs)	sweet potatoes	$2.73
1/2 cup	shelled pecans	$1.12
1/4 cup	brown sugar	$0.08
1/4 cup	real maple syrup	$1.29
1/4 tsp	cinnamon	$0.02
1/8 tsp	ground cloves	$0.02
a pinch	salt	$0.02
TOTAL		$5.28

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse, peel and cube the sweet potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes. Roughly chop the pecans.

STEP 2: Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and add the pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Toss to coat. Spread the sweet potatoes out on a large baking sheet covered in foil. Spread them out into a single layer. Use two baking sheets, if needed, to prevent them from piling up on each other. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt.

STEP 3: Place the potatoes in the oven and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the cubes are soft and the edges have browned slightly. Stir the potatoes once, half way through (about 20-30 minutes in) to redistribute the maple syrup and seasoning. Serve warm!

Step By Step Photos

Start with 3 medium sweet potatoes. This was around three pounds worth.


Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Place them in a large bowl.


Roughly chop the pecans and add them to the bowl along with the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir until everything is well coated.


Spread the potatoes out onto a large baking sheet covered in foil (a little non-stick spray doesn't hurt either, although I forgot to use it). Use two baking sheets, if needed, to prevent the potatoes from piling up. If they're on top of each other, they'll steam instead of roast and you won't get nice caramelization. I probably should have use two baking sheets but they turned out delicious all the same!


Place the baking sheet into a preheated 400 degree oven and roast for about 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the edges are golden brown. You'll need to stir it once half way through to redistribute the maple syrup and brown sugar.


If you have room in your oven (multiple racks) you can roast them while you cook other items. Just be aware that if your oven is at a different temperature, the potatoes will take a different amount of time to cook. Keep an eye on them and don't forget to stir!