Description
Fondant (aka melting) sweet potatoes are seared then roasted with herbs, garlic and broth to create a super soft, custard-like interior that melts in your mouth. A brown sugar pecan caramel sauce adds a touch of sweetness and crunch. This is an amazing holiday side dish!
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes:
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" (2.5cm) thick rounds (try to find potatoes that are a relatively consistent thickness)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into small cubes
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Brown sugar bourbon pecan sauce:
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 large sprig of rosemary
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
- Add oil to a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the sweet potato rounds and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Lower the heat slightly, and add in the butter. Once melted, add in the garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Cook until the butter is foamy and aromatic, and then use a spoon to baste the infused butter over each of the sweet potato rounds.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, then move the skillet to the hot oven and roast for about 40 minutes. The potatoes are done when a knife or fork inserted into one of the potatoes meets no resistance (they should be very soft!). The liquid in the bottom of the pan will also have reduced to almost nothing.
- Add butter to another pan over medium low heat. Once melted, add in the brown sugar and stir continuously, until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour in the heavy cream and stir until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add in the pecans, rosemary, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, but still runs off a spatula easily (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat, then add in the bourbon carefully (it will bubble aggressively as the alcohol boils off). Stir well.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes to a serving platter, cover with sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
Cut the potatoes evenly: We laid a ruler along side each potato and then scored them at every 1" (2.5cm) interval as a guide. Then we cut the potatoes into rounds. An even thickness will ensure the sweet potatoes cook evenly in the oven! Some of the ends will probably be too small, so set those aside to freeze and use later in stocks or sweet potato mash.
Bourbon: This is totally optional, but it adds a great note of flavor to the glaze. Most of the alcohol cooks off, so it doesn't end up tasting boozy at all.
Store the potatoes and the glaze separately in airtight containers and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
To reheat, place the potatoes back into a 425˚F (220˚C) oven with a splash of vegetable broth for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop/oven
- Cuisine: French/American