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Grandma's holiday dinners always featured these sugar-coated sweet potatoes. I just love how the maple syrup mixes with brown sugar to make that gooey caramel coating, while the kitchen fills up with those cozy spice smells. Now my family won't let me show up to gatherings without bringing this side dish.
Soul-Warming Comfort Food
What's great about this dish is how it's both super easy and packed with flavor. You'll get soft sweet potatoes drenched in a buttery maple caramel that's just divine. I'm a big fan of how I can pop it in the oven and forget it while I tackle other cooking, and meanwhile my house smells absolutely incredible.
Your Shopping List
- 4 large sweet potatoes: Go for ones that feel heavy with reddish-brown skin, weighing around 3 pounds.
- 1/2 cup butter: Skip the margarine and grab unsalted butter for the best taste.
- 1 cup brown sugar: The dark kind gives you richer flavor notes.
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup: Don't cheap out with breakfast syrup - get pure maple.
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon: Freshly ground works wonders here.
- 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger: These bring that cozy feeling we all want.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract: Always go for the real stuff, not the fake kind.
- Optional toppings: Some orange zest, a few rosemary sprigs, or fancy sea salt flakes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare Your Sweet Potatoes
- Take off the skins and cut potatoes into 1/2-inch circles. Put them in a buttered 9x13 baking dish and add a tiny bit of salt.
- Create the Caramel Sauce
- Mix butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, 1/4 cup water and all the spices in a pot. Let it bubble on medium heat for 2 minutes until the sugar melts away. Turn off heat and stir vanilla in.
- Begin Baking
- Drizzle the hot sauce all over the potato slices and mix them around gently. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375°F for half an hour.
- Finish and Garnish
- Take the foil off and keep baking another 30 minutes, spooning sauce over potatoes every 15 minutes until they're soft and sticky-sweet. Throw on any extras right before you serve.
Tips for Success
- Cut your potato slices the same size so they all get done together.
- Don't skimp on real maple syrup - the fake stuff just won't taste right.
- Spoon that sauce over the potatoes often while they're cooking for the shiniest glaze.
- A bit of herbs or citrus peel cuts through the sweetness perfectly.
- Give them about 10 minutes to sit after baking - the sauce gets thicker as it cools down.
Storage and Reheating
Stick any extras in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm them back up in a 350°F oven for around 20 minutes. In a rush? The microwave works too. You can make these a couple days ahead and just warm them up before dinner - super handy when you've got a million holiday dishes to manage.
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Common Questions
- → Why keep stirring while it bakes?
Stirring every so often makes sure the sauce coats all the pieces evenly, avoiding dry or burnt spots.
- → What’s the reason for covering after a bit?
Foil traps steam so the potatoes cook through and stay moist, while letting the glaze develop properly.
- → How far ahead can I prep this?
The potatoes can be sliced the day before, and the sauce prepared 1–2 days early. Refrigerate separately until it’s time to cook them together.
- → Why is the glaze runny at first?
The sauce firms up as it cools. It will thicken nicely within about 10 minutes after baking.
- → Can this dish handle freezing?
Yes, freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and warm up covered at 350°F for roughly 25 minutes.