Nothing compares to the fall color palette, the shades of which are rich, deep and burnt. Its beauty is most apparent at a Southern California farmers market where heaps of jewel-toned produce weigh down plastic tables and woven totes. There are pears that I’ll turn into galettes, apples that I’ll bake into pies, persimmons that I’ll consume raw and by the pound and sweet potatoes that I’ll add to everything else. I’m just as likely to eat a roasted sweet potato in my oatmeal as I am to drink it through a straw in a smoothie. They’re the chameleons of the culinary world, and they’re too often overlooked.
This Thanksgiving, I urge you to promote the humble sweet potato from supporting character to starring role. This isn’t a diatribe against turkey, and I’m not turning my nose up at stuffing (or dressing as some people call it). I love all holiday foods equally. But while the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy get all of the love and attention, the sweet potatoes sit alone and untouched on the counter...forgotten.
I trace this lack of attention to the classic sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. For someone with a raging sweet tooth like myself, I’m fully on board with this explosion of sugar and fat. But as an objective observer, I can see why some would think it too rich or too sweet. So, I’ve decided that with the promise of pie to look forward to after dinner, a smarter approach to the sweet potato is to highlight its savory side.
Enter tahini. Just like my favorite root vegetable, this nutty sesame paste is extraordinarily neutral, and can be either sweet or savory depending on the needs of the cook. In this recipe, I straddle the line between the two by mixing it with salted butter, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. The result? A silky sauce that caramelizes in the oven.
It takes a little over an hour to make this dish, but most of this time is hands-off. After roasting the sweet potatoes, all you have to do is tear or cut them into large pieces and toss them with half of the tahini butter and sesame seeds before baking them some more. Served with Greek yogurt (if desired) and drizzled with the remaining butter mixture, this creamy, sticky, nutty contribution to your holiday feast is practically guaranteed to delight and impress. The best part about this recipe is that it’s easily doubled, tripled or halved.
Happy eating!
—
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Butter
Serves 4
Active 15 min.
Total 1 hour, 25 min.
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked with a fork
¼ cup (2 oz./56.5 grams) salted butter
2 Tbsp. tahini (such as Soom)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Plain whole Greek yogurt, for serving
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potatoes on a large-rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and sesame seeds.
3. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, rip or cut into large chunks and place on the same rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Pour half of the tahini mixture over the potatoes, tossing to coat fully. Return to preheated oven. Bake until tahini has caramelized and the potatoes are beginning to char, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Top a large platter or plate with a thick layer of Greek yogurt. Transfer sweet potatoes to a platter and drizzle with remaining tahini butter. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds.