To make maple roasted sweet potatoes, toss 1-inch cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then add maple syrup, toss and roast 8 to 10 minutes more, until they're tender inside and caramelized at the edges.
Sweet potatoes bring plenty of their own sweetness, so 2 tablespoons of maple is enough. It goes on near the end so it caramelizes instead of burning.
What you need
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or smoked paprika (optional)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Scrub the sweet potatoes. Peel them or leave the skins on, then cut them into 1-inch cubes.
- Toss the cubes on the pan with the oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon or paprika, if using. Spread them out in a single layer.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
- Drizzle the maple syrup over the potatoes, toss with a spatula and spread them out again. Roast 8 to 10 minutes more, until a fork slides in easily and the edges are caramelized.
- Taste for salt and serve warm.
Which syrup to use
Either one works, so use what you have, as long as it's pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Dark is deep and robust and built for cooking, and it gives the potatoes a bolder maple flavor. Amber is warm and smooth with caramel notes, and it lets the sweet potato lead.
Tips
- Keep the cubes even. Same-size pieces cook at the same rate. Small bits burn while big ones stay firm.
- Give them room. Crowded potatoes steam and stay pale. Use two pans if they don't fit in one layer.
- Peel or don't. It's up to you. Skins add a little chew, so scrub them well if you leave them on.
- Line the pan. Maple sticks to a bare pan. Parchment or foil saves you the scrubbing.
- Use a thin metal spatula. When you toss in the maple, slide it under the cubes so the browned sides come up with them instead of sticking to the pan.
- Make them ahead. Roast them earlier in the day and get them into the fridge within 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90°F). They keep 3 to 4 days. Rewarm them in a 425°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Make it your own
- Sweet or savory. Cinnamon nudges them toward dessert. Smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne take them the other way.
- Add herbs. Toss a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme onto the pan when you add the maple.
- Finish with crunch or a little tang. Scatter chopped maple candied pecans over the top, or add a squeeze of lime.
- Feeding a crowd. Double the recipe on two pans, and swap their oven positions when you add the maple.
- What to serve them with. Roast chicken, pork chops or a pan of maple mustard chicken thighs, which roasts at the same temperature.
- Use the leftovers. Cold roasted sweet potatoes are good in a grain bowl or on a salad with maple vinaigrette.
