Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (2024)

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Miso butter adds savory richness; ginger and maple syrup add punch and sweetness.

By

Emily and Matt Clifton

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (1)

Emily and Matt Clifton

Emily and Matt Clifton are recipe developers, photographers, and cookbook authors. Their two cookbooks are Cork and Knife (2019) andThe Ultimate Dutch Oven Cookbook (2021).

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Updated September 16, 2022

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • Sweet maple syrup and salty miso add extra dimensions of flavor to roasted sweet potatoes.
  • Fresh grated ginger and white wine vinegar balance the dish's sweetness, keeping it from becoming cloying.

Like many people, we have a strategy for tackling Thanksgiving—I call it our "What Works" list. By knowing in advance that Sunday is when we make the stock and Tuesday is when we make the gravy, that this mixing bowl is big enough to hold all the rutabaga and that we'll need a certain number of chew sticks to distract our dog while we cook, we don't have to think too hard about almost anything, no matter how many people end up coming over. The trouble with the "What Works" list is that we sometimes get complacent, leaning on the same tired dishes year after year, without any variation. This roasted sweet potato recipe is one of our efforts to break out of our Thanksgiving rut this year.

Our idea was to combine two seemingly unlikely bedfellows with the roasted sweet potatoes: miso and maple syrup. Miso, especially the white kind we call for here, is not only salty and savory but also lightly sweet, making it a perfect match for sweet and earthy sweet potatoes. Maple syrup, meanwhile, delivers a complex flavor that plays beautifully off those salty, earthy qualities. Don't worry if you're serving a traditional crowd—this combination doesn't scream "fusion." In fact, if you don't tell them there's miso in it, most probably won't realize it (though they'll likely want to know your secret). And, of course, if you don't make this for Thanksgiving, it'll still be great on the table any other time.

The recipe itself is incredibly easy. We combine butter, maple syrup, and miso in a saucepan and cook them together to form a smooth sauce. Next, we stir in some white wine vinegar and grated fresh ginger, for some sharp, tart flavors to help balance the sweetness and add brightness to contrast with those earthy flavors. We toss diced sweet potatoes with that sauce and roast them until they're tender and browned. We like to leave the skins on, since they have good flavor and grow tender during the roasting, but feel free to peel the potatoes for a less rustic look.

That's basically all there is to it. Those of you familiar with othersweet potato recipeson Serious Eats may have noticed that we don't kick ours off with a low-temperature cooking step before the final roasting. That's because that step is designed to enhance the sweetness of the potatoes (by allowing enzymes that are active at those lower temps to break complex carbohydrates into simple sugars), but in this case, we already have more than enough sweetness from the maple syrup and white miso. Any sweeter, and we'd risk crossing into cloying territory.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (3)

This dish wasn't on our "What Works" list before, but we think there's a good chance it will be from now on. There are worse ruts to be in, right?

November 2016

Recipe Details

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe

Serves6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 pounds (1kg) sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 7 cups; see notes)

  • 6 tablespoons (90g)unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) puremaple syrup

  • 1/4 cup (60g) whitemiso

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml)white wine vinegar

  • 1 (1-inch) knob peeled fresh ginger, grated (about 2 teaspoons)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

  2. In a small saucepan, combine butter, maple syrup, and miso and cook over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in vinegar and ginger and remove from heat.

    Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (4)

  3. Pour miso butter over sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Be careful with the salt, as the miso will already be salty.)

    Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (5)

  4. Bake potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately. (To brown the potatoes more deeply, set them under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes; watch them closely to make sure they do not burn.)

Special Equipment

9- by 13-inch baking dish

Notes

We like to keep the skins on our sweet potatoes, but you can peel them if you like.

Read More

  • A Field Guide to Sweet Potato Varieties (and the Dirt on Yams)
  • Miso-Scallion Roasted Sweet Potatoes
  • Brown Butter Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes
  • The Best Roasted Sweet Potatoes
  • Truly Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes)
  • The Best Way to Cook Whole Sweet Potatoes
  • Vegetable Sides
  • Gluten-free Sides
  • Vegetarian Sides
  • Roasted Vegetables
  • Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
318Calories
13g Fat
47g Carbs
5g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories318
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g17%
Saturated Fat 8g39%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 490mg21%
Total Carbohydrate 47g17%
Dietary Fiber 6g22%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 33mg167%
Calcium 88mg7%
Iron 1mg8%
Potassium 871mg19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Maple Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best tasting sweet potato? ›

The most versatile and sweetest variation of sweet potatoes is the Beauregard. Throughout the United States, you will see this species stacked high in the grocery stores during the holiday season. Beauregard's have a bit of a stringy texture, but they stay soft: this is what makes them so popular.

Why freeze sweet potatoes before baking? ›

The science behind using frozen sweet potatoes

“Freezing sweet potatoes before baking them results in a nice and charred exterior and the most fluffy inside, because freezing the potatoes allows their interior flesh to macerate from the inside out,” says Chin. (FYI, “macerate” is the chef word for soften.)

What is the best way to eat sweet potatoes? ›

You can grill, smash, bake, mash and even air-fry them. Along with those cooking methods, one of the healthiest ways to cook sweet potatoes is to roast them. The best technique for roasting vegetables is to roast them at higher temperatures so that the natural sugars caramelize.

Is it better to wrap sweet potatoes in foil when baking? ›

Wrapping sweet potatoes in foil helps in a few ways. It prevents the exterior of the tuber from drying out and overheating too quickly, which would minimize enzymatic activity; it also results in a more evenly cooked texture.

Which country has the best sweet potato? ›

China currently accounts for more than half of the total global sweet potato output at 70,963,630 metric tons annually. This is due to the rich production yield of up to 30 tons per hectare. It is also treated as a catch crop.

What are the 4 types of sweet potatoes? ›

Sweet Potato Guide. There are five main types of sweet potato that are commonly consumed today—Garnet, Hannah, Japanese, Jewel, and Purple Stoke. While all are delicious, each variety has its own distinct flavor and texture that lends itself to a variety of cooking applications.

What happens if you freeze sweet potatoes without blanching? ›

If you freeze them without cooking them first, they're likely to get freezer burn and develop an unpleasant texture. 2. Try blanching your potatoes to save prep time. If you need to quickly prepare sweet potatoes for the freezer, try blanching them.

Is it OK to freeze raw sweet potatoes? ›

The simple answer is yes! Sweet potatoes can be frozen raw, baked, boiled, or even mashed. However, keep in mind that raw frozen sweet potatoes are likely to get freezer burn, so try to cook them in some way first.

What happens if you freeze cooked sweet potatoes? ›

You can store baked sweet potatoes or cooked yams in the freezer. Sweet potatoes have a long shelf life, however if you're looking to increase their longevity you may want to look into storing them into your fridge or freezer. While deciding where to store sweet potatoes keep in mind whether they're raw or cooked.

What to put on top of baked sweet potato? ›

For something smoky, tangy, and nicely salty, smear some plain Greek yogurt on your sweet potato, then layer with smoked fish, scallions, and briny capers. Roast whatever mushrooms you have until crispy. Thin some tahini, adding a little yogurt for creaminess. Or mix hummus and yogurt, and spread on your potato.

What's the healthiest way to eat a sweet potato? ›

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

Should you poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? ›

Recipe Tips

Don't forget to poke: Poking holes in the sweet potatoes is crucial. It allows steam to escape, ensuring the insides become perfectly soft while preventing any oven mishaps from over-pressurized potatoes. Oil evenly: When rubbing oil onto the potatoes, make sure it's evenly distributed.

Why not to cook potatoes in aluminum foil? ›

Wrapping a potato in foil prior to baking traps the potato's natural moisture, steaming instead of baking it. This results is a soggy baked potato, not the light fluffy Idaho Baker that most people prefer.

Why do restaurants bake potatoes in foil? ›

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Are some sweet potatoes sweeter than others? ›

Satsuma-Imo (AKA Japanese Sweet Potatoes)

Satsuma-Imo have similar reddish-purple skin to Garnets but have a light yellow interior. Their dry, russet potato-like flesh is incredibly sweet and more starchy than other sweet potatoes.

Which potatoes are most tasty? ›

Yukon Gold Potatoes

We use Yukon Golds in Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes recipe not only because of that waxy-starchy texture, but also because of their rich, buttery flavor that creates a creamy, luscious result. Their thinner skins can be left on or peeled to play up their creaminess even more.

Which is sweeter red or white sweet potatoes? ›

White sweet potatoes may have higher levels of some minerals, such as potassium and magnesium. Red sweet potatoes tend to be sweeter than white sweet potatoes, with a slightly more intense flavor. White sweet potatoes have a milder flavor and may be slightly less sweet.

Are white or orange sweet potatoes sweeter? ›

The white sweet potato has a slightly more crumbly and dry texture than an orange sweet potato and a slightly less sweet flavor. White sweet potatoes won't have as much beta carotene content, but they're still a good choice nutritionally.

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