This Is the Only Way You Should Be Cooking Sweet Potatoes

angled shot of fondant sweet potatoes in a cast iron
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

This recipe for irresistibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes will convince you that there is a better way to cook a sweet potato. Here, the simple technique is key. Roasting rounds of sweet potato in a delicious honey-butter bath delivers caramelized, ultra-tender bites every single time.

These salty-sweet potatoes will steal the show. They’re easy enough to pull out on a weeknight, yet equally at home as part of a dinner party spread. So if you find yourself wondering what to pair with an upcoming meal, look no further.

Why You’ll Love It

  • These sweet potatoes will melt in your mouth. Cooking rounds of sweet potato in a bath of chicken broth and butter yields spoon-tender bites with irresistibly caramelized bottoms.

  • The flavor is next-level. As they roast, the honey adds delicious floral notes that highlight the natural sweetness of the potato.

overhead shot of fondant sweet potatoes in a cast iron
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

Key Ingredients in Fondant Sweet Potatoes

  • Butter: Helps with browning and lends notes of brown butter to the sweet potatoes as they cook.

  • Chicken broth: Keeps the potatoes tender throughout the cooking process and infuses them with even more savory flavor.

  • Fresh thyme or sage: Fresh herbs add a hint of woodsy, earthy flavor; they balance the potatoes’ sweetness and the slight saltiness of the chicken broth.

How to Make Fondant Sweet Potatoes

  1. Heat the oven and brown sweet potatoes. Melt unsalted butter and honey in a medium oven-safe or cast iron skillet. Arrange sweet potato rounds in a single layer, cooking until golden-brown in spots.

  2. Add butter and broth. Turn off the heat. Season the tops of the sweet potatoes with kosher salt and black pepper. Add unsalted butter, low-sodium chicken broth and fresh thyme sprigs to the skillet.

  3. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. When the sweet potatoes are almost ready, melt the remaining unsalted butter and stir in remaining honey and coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves.

  4. Serve. Drizzle the butter mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Return the skillet to the oven and roast until the honey mixture begins to bubble and caramelize. Let cool slightly before serving.

Fondant Sweet Potatoes Recipe

With caramelized outsides and creamy insides, these buttery sweet potatoes will steal the show.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds medium sweet potatoes (about 3)

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

  • 2 tablespoons honey, divided

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or fresh sage

  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme or fresh sage leaves

  • Flaky salt, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

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  1. Heat the oven to 425ºF. Meanwhile, peel 2 pounds medium sweet potatoes. Trim the ends, then cut crosswise into 1-inch rounds.

  2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of the honey in a medium (10-inch) oven-safe or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Arrange the sweet potato rounds cut-side down in the skillet. Cook until golden-brown in spots, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

  3. Turn off the heat. Season the tops of the sweet potatoes with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place 4 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in between the sweet potatoes. Add 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth and 2 fresh thyme sprigs to the skillet.

  4. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, 30 to 35 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are almost ready, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves.

  5. Remove the skillet from the oven. Drizzle the thyme mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Return the skillet to the oven and roast until the honey mixture begins to bubble and caramelize, about 5 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with flaky salt if desired.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Further Reading

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Tuscan Chicken Is the "Most Delicious" Dinner of All Time, Says Everyone Who's Tried It

Le Creuset Launched a Pan That’s Perfect for Everything from Stews to Stir-Fry — and It’s Already on Sale