Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Slightly sweet yet delightfully savory, these tender maple thyme hasselback yams are a wonderful (and pretty!) side dish for your holiday table.

Everybody makes a big deal of Girl Scout cookie season, and rightfully so, of course. They are delicious and iconic, especially the Thin Mints. But I daresay fewer people are aware of a Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) fundraiser that takes place in many councils across the United States. 

I discovered the program a couple of years ago at a neighborhood holiday event where among the vendor booths there was a troop of scouts selling their branded Scout’s Own maple syrup. Apparently, if they live close to maple syrup country, scouts can attend “Sap Camp” to learn about and help with the production of the syrup.

Since I cannot say no to a young person selling something delicious, you know I had to buy a bottle. Scout’s Own maple syrup is lovely, dark, rich and just the perfect amount of sweet. I used it to make these maple thyme hasselback yams. 

Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Growing up in the southern United States, we called these orange flesh tubers yams or occasionally, sweet potatoes. You can substitute your favorite sweet potato here. 

Ingredients

3 yams

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fine sea salt

¼ cup or 56g butter

¼ cup or 60ml maple syrup

2 sprigs fresh thyme plus extra for garnish

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Scrub the yams and trim the hard ends and discard. Place a yam in a deep serving spoon and use a sharp knife to cut thin slices in it, just down to the spoon edges. Repeat with the other two yams.

Place the yams in a tight-fitting baking pan and drizzle them with the olive oil, opening the slices to get a little oil inside the yams. Sprinkle with fine sea salt, trying to get some inside the yams as well. 

Bake the yams for 30 minutes in your preheated oven. 

Melt the butter and mix it with the maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and the leaves from the fresh thyme sprigs. 

Spoon the maple butter thyme mixture over the yams, making sure to get it in between the slices, inside the yams. 

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the yams are tender and cooked through. Turn off the oven when you take the yams out.

Drain the syrupy butter into a small pot and put the yams back into the turned off oven to stay warm. 

Bring the syrup to a boil over a medium high heat. 

Cook for about five minutes until reduced and thickened. 

Leave to cool for just a couple of minutes then spoon over the yams and garnish with tender sprigs of thyme. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with maple syrup ahead of Maple Syrup Saturday on March 21st. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below!

• French Toast by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Karawya with a Maple Syrup Drizzle by Culinary Cam
• Keto Baked Chicken Legs in Buffalo Sauce by Sneha's Recipe
• Maple Bacon Candied Walnuts by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Maple Bourbon Smash by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Maple Dijon Bacon Green Beans by Making Miracles
• Maple Mousse by A Messy Kitchen
• Maple Pecan Glaze for Scones by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams by Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams!

 

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Miso Honey Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Salty and sweet, these Miso Honey Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes are easy to make with loads of flavor. Serve them as a main with salad or as a side dish.

Growing up, the only sweet potatoes I ever ate were the candied ones with loads of Karo syrup and butter, baked till sticky for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I honestly don’t remember ever having them any other time of the year. 

As I got older and my sweet tooth diminished, I still baked those sweet potatoes for the holiday but with just a tiny sprinkling of brown sugar for color instead of all the syrup. The sweet potatoes were sweet enough on their own.

In fact, when it’s just my husband and I at home, one of our favorite meals is roasted whole sweet potatoes, served split open from end to end with a generous pat or three of butter inside, no sugar at all! 

I knew that if I wanted to add a sweet element to these roast sweet potatoes, I’d have to balance it with a savory element. The miso works beautifully here. 

Miso Honey Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

I give the ingredient amounts below for each sweet potato because you may want to roast one or seven or 15, depending on how many people you are feeding. 

Ingredients per person

1 sweet potato

Olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon miso

For topping:

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped

Sprinkling chopped parsley

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Set your sweet potato between two large chopsticks (or the handles of two wooden spoons) and use a sharp knife to cut slices into the sweet potatoes without going all the way through. The chopsticks (or spoon handles) help make sure that you can’t cut all the way through! 

Put the sweet potatoes in your prepared baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. 

Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, basting occasionally to encourage the sweet potatoes to open up as they cook. 

Meanwhile, add the butter, honey and miso to a microwaveable bowl and heat them briefly to melt the butter. Mix well. 

After the roasting time is up, remove from the oven and spoon over the butter mixture so it goes in between the slices. I also used a pastry brush to brush some on the skin. 

Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes or until a knife goes in easily, basting halfway through.

Sprinkle on the chopped peanuts and parsley to serve. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Sweet Potato Awareness Month. Many thanks to our host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the sweet potato recipe links below 

• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Beef and Sweet Potato Stir Fry 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili 
• Food Lust People Love: Miso Honey Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Shakkariya Nu Shaak
• Culinary Cam: Spiced Sweet Potato-Red Lentil Stew 
• Sneha's Recipe: Sweet Potato Patties 
• Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Sweet Potato Sushi

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Miso Honey Roasted

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes! 

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