Crisp Roasted Sweet Potato & Maple Pecans

Roasted Crisp Sweet Potato & Maple Pecans

About this time of year is when about a million or more posts regarding Thanksgiving start to pop up everywhere around me. I’m all the way in London and even my local Wholefoods has a new section of Thanksgiving exclusives. Not complaining though, anything that is giving me easier access to pumpkin and sweet potatoes is going to be a good thing.

This year will hopefully be my first ever Thanksgiving (!!!) as I’m heading across the pond to California to visit some dear friends. I’ll be documenting the whole thing on my Instagram and Snapchat, so be sure to come along and please oh please send me any tips you might have for LA, Yosemite and San Francisco.

Now, I’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving, but in my mind there is a lot of roasted sweet potato involved. I might be wrong, but if I go to one and there is no roasted sweet potato of some sort the host and I will need to have words. Just kidding, I’m not THAT kind of annoying guest, though just to be sure I’ll probably bring my own. With extra glazed pecans on top, and some hazelnuts for good measure. Oh, and of course some maple syrup. Jazzed up roasted sweet potato to the max.

What are you guys doing/not doing to celebrate this year? Any experience or dish I absolutely cannot miss out on?

Roasted Crisp Sweet Potato & Maple Pecans      Roasted Crisp Sweet Potato & Maple Pecans

Roasted Crisp Sweet Potato & Maple Pecans
 
Serves: 4 as a side
Ingredients
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter, coconut or avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, divided
  • ½ cup pecans
  • ¼ cup hazelnuts
  • ¼ cup cashews
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. Wash your sweet potatoes and cut into rounds, leaving the skin on.
  2. Bring a pan with water to a boil and then either steam or boil the sweet potatoes until soft and easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy.
  3. As your sweet potatoes steam or boil, preheat your oven to grill or broil to 175ºC | 350ºF and line two separate baking trays with baking paper.
  4. In one tray toss together one tablespoon of maple syrup with the pecans, hazelnuts, and cashews along with the herbs and spices.
  5. In second baking tray line your drained sweet potatoes. Carefully smash with a fork, and drizzle over the melted butter or coconut oil, sprinkling with salt and pepper.
  6. Place both trays in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on the nuts and tossing them half way through so they don’t burn.
  7. Remove nuts from the oven and let cool.
  8. Drizzle over the remaining maple syrup over the potatoes and bake for a further 5 minutes, until crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
  9. Serve potatoes hot with the glazed nuts on top.
 

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