Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways are sweet potatoes sliced and baked in the oven with brown butter and maple syrup until tender!

Ahhh, welcome November.  I was shocked and amazed that Halloween was here already, but I woke up the morning after and packed up all the Halloween decorations and put out the Thanksgiving ones.  I’m hosting Thanksgiving again this year, and I’m in the mode.  I want to do as much ahead of time as possible, including turkey stock, pie crust, you name it.  I’m really looking forward to it as this is what the holidays are all about for me…food and family.

As you know, sweet potatoes are one of my all time favorite things.  You know that because I put them in front of you all the time…and you don’t seem to mind. 🙂  These Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways are a side or main dish depending on how you serve them,  and they’ll keep ’em coming back for more.  These babies are dee-lish.

So what’s so special about these?  Only everything.  I cut a bit off of the bottoms so the potatoes could lie flat, then sliced them as uniformly as possible, in about 1/4″ slices, stopping just before the bottom.  On one website, I saw that chopsticks were used on either side of the potato as a guard, if you will, to help keep you from slicing through to the bottom.  I went freestyle, and it worked just fine for me.

The potatoes are brushed with a combination of brown butter and maple syrup on the outside AND between the layers.   Then you bake them in the oven until they’re super tender, while basting them every so often with the maple brown butter.  Be still my heart!

They come out of the oven perfectly delicious to serve as a vegetarian side or main dish.  You can top them with scallions and Greek yogurt or sour cream if you’re so inclined.

This, my friends, is option #1:

This post is about to go veggie-geek on you, because that’s precisely what I am…a veggie geek. 🙂  I’d read about kalettes in a few magazines and couldn’t wait to find some.  I actually found some at Trader Joe’s (which they dubbed kale sprouts), and snagged them up quick!   I posted them on Instagram before I even knew what I was going to use them for, and before I’d even tasted them.  Saying I was excited is an understatement. 🙂

If you haven’t heard about kalettes, they’re a cross between kale and brussels sprouts.  Imagine my delight that two of my favorite veggies were merged into one?

Aren’t they pretty?  I couldn’t wait to taste them, so I coated them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them right up.

I’m here to tell you that these tasted better than I imagined.  They have a slight bitterness like kale, with the mild, cabbage flavor of brussels sprouts, and they’re chewier than brussels sprouts.  What a combination!  I got the idea to add them as a side to my hasselback sweet potatoes…with bacon, of course. 🙂  If you can’t find kalettes, simply roast up some brussels sprouts.  That would be mighty fine, too.

With that, I introduce to you, option #2:

The tender sweet potatoes combined with the crisp, hearty, roasted kalettes and salty bacon was even more magnificent than option #1.  This is already swoon-worthy, but I just couldn’t stop.

I really did almost stop at option #2, but I couldn’t shake the idea  to put an egg on it.  And I had that Beyonce song “Put A Ring On It” in my head the entire time, changing the words just a little bit.  If you like it then you should put an egg on it….oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…“.  That’s so strange, I probably shouldn’t have told you, but put an egg on it, I did.

And this brings us to our 3rd and final option:

Tender maple brown butter sweet potatoes with roasted kalettes, salty bacon, and a beautiful poached egg on top.  I added a little pepper after this photo, because that egg looked too white, you know?  And then I did it.  I cut the egg and let the yolk ooze all over that potato in all it’s glory.

And that is glory at its finest.  And then I ate this dish in all it’s glory, and it was all good.  I loved all of these hasselback sweet potato options, but option #3 wins the prize in my book.  My question to you is, which option is calling to you…1, 2, 3, or all of the above? 🙂

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Yield: 2 servings

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways

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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes 3 Ways are sweet potatoes sliced and baked in the oven with brown butter and maple syrup until tender. Serve them as-is with scallions, with roasted kalettes and bacon, or top with a poached egg. You decide!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Option #1:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, washed and dried thoroughly
• 2 tablespoons brown butter
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• scallions and Greek yogurt or sour cream, for garnish

Option #2:

• 8 ounces kalettes or kale sprouts, washed and halved
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Option #3:

• (2) large eggs
• 2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Option #1:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. Slice the bottoms off of the sweet potatoes so they lay flat on your cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, slice the sweet potatoes width-wise as uniformly as possibly, in about 1/4" slices. Be careful to stop when you get close to the bottom so that the sweet potato stays intact.
3. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it turns brown on the bottom, being careful not to burn, about 5-10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the maple syrup, salt, and cayenne, and stir to combine. Brush the sweet potatoes liberally with the maple brown butter all over and in between the layers, using all of it. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender, basting with the maple brown butter every 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve with scallions, Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

Option #2:

1. Toss the kalettes with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees until crisp tender. Serve with warm sweet potatoes and crumbled bacon!

Option #3:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with about 2" of water and add the vinegar. Heat over medium heat just to a low simmer.
2. While the water heats, crack the eggs into small ramekins. Stir the water and pour in one egg, using a slotted spoon to keep the whites intact if necessary. Add the other egg, keeping distance between the 2 eggs. Cook over medium low, flipping the eggs gently with the spoon after 2 minutes. Cook 2 minutes more, then remove with the slotted spoon and place on top of the sweet potato. Salt and pepper the egg to taste, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

• Total time above includes cooking everything for option #3. If you choose to stop at option 1 or 2, you can omit a few minutes prep time for the kalettes, bacon, and cook time for the poached egg.

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