Hasselback Sweet Potatoes With Maple Cinnamon Butter
Sweet potatoes sliced into fans and roasted until the edges crisp, then basted three times with a warm maple cinnamon butter that runs down into every slit. A holiday side dish that beats the casserole.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes 6 to 8 ounces each, scrubbed, skin on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅜ teaspoon kosher salt for the plain roast
For the Maple Cinnamon Butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup Grade A dark preferred
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅜ teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper a few grinds
- flaky salt to finish, optional
Instructions
Cut the Potatoes
- Heat the oven to 400F. Scrub the sweet potatoes and dry them completely, leaving the skins on.
- Trim a thin sliver off one long side of each potato so it sits flat and cannot roll.
- Lay a wooden chopstick tight along each long side of the potato, or set the potato in the bowl of a large wooden spoon. Slice down in even cuts a scant ¼ inch apart, letting the blade stop on the chopsticks so the slices stay attached at the base. Slow down at the tapered ends, where the knife most often cuts through.
Roast and Baste
- Rub the potatoes with the olive oil, working a little down into the slits with your fingers, and season with the ⅜ teaspoon of salt. Arrange them in a shallow baking dish with space between them.
- Roast plain for 30 minutes. Nothing sweet goes on yet: maple scorches long before a sweet potato is cooked through.
- While they roast, melt the butter with the maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining salt and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk until smooth and keep it warm and pourable.
- At 30 minutes the fans should be visibly open. Spoon about a third of the maple cinnamon butter over the potatoes, nudging it down into the slits with the back of the spoon. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
- Baste again at 40 minutes and a third time at 50 minutes, using the rest of the butter and spooning any glaze pooled in the dish back over the potatoes.
- They are done when a thin knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the outer slice tips are dark and slightly curled, 50 to 60 minutes total.
- Rest 5 minutes, spoon the pan glaze over one last time, and finish with flaky salt.
Notes
- Baste late, baste three times: nothing sweet for the first 30 minutes, then thin coats at 30, 40 and 50 minutes. One thick coat at the start burns.
- Buy small, straight potatoes: 6 to 8 ounces and even in thickness. This fixes most hasselback problems before you pick up the knife.
- Do not parboil: softened slices tear off the base as soon as the potato is moved.
- Shallow dish, with space: a deep dish shields the sides and the fans stay soft instead of crisping.
- Make ahead: slice a day early and hold in cold water, or do the plain 30 minute roast in the morning and finish with the bastes before dinner.
- Storage: 4 days refrigerated. Reheat at 400F for 10 to 12 minutes or in an air fryer at 370F for 5 minutes, never the microwave.