Sweet, tender, and caramelized, these potatoes may be the best best part of the meal, no matter what else you are serving! Perfect for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.
½cup(1 stick) unsalted butter(cut into small pieces)
½cuplight brown sugar
¼cuppure maple syrup
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonground cloves
Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper(to taste)
½cupfresh orange juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment or aluminum foil, and bake until tender, about 1 ¼ to ½ hours. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, then let them sit out, loosely covered with a dish towel, for at least 12 hours to become very firm.
Preheat the oven again, this time to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or another shallow 4-quart baking dish, or spray with nonstick spray.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cloves. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and everything is well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Peel the sweet potatoes (you should be able to peel the skin off with your fingers). Cut them into ½-inch thick slices. Place the sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish and pour over the butter mixture. Toss carefully to keep the slices intact so that the sweet potatoes are pretty well coated with the sauce. Rearrange the slices in the baking dish so that they overlap. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes until hot.
Remove the foil and drizzle the orange juice over the sweet potatoes. Use a spoon to baste the casserole with the sauce from the bottom. Bake, uncovered, for another 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden (you can baste once or twice again if you think of it). Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Choose sweet potatoes that are small to medium in size, very firm, without any dramatic roots sprouting from them. They should have no cuts or bruises. A darker orange color to the flesh usually means a sweeter flavor, and the level of sweetness can range dramatically. Taste your sweet potato dish or at least your cooked sweet potatoes as you combine them into this dish, and adjust the level of sugar as desired.