Baked sweet potatoes with maple syrup and chocolate sea salt may well be my favorite new side dish.
In the fall, while on a field trip to visit family, I bought a small bag of chocolate sea salt at the Spice and Tea Exchange in Mystic, CT. Back in the day if someone had mentioned artesnal salt, I’m sure I would have rolled my eyes. Now? I’m a culinary nerd who will gladly whip out my wallet for such things. For just under $5, it’s a small luxury that provides amazing and unique flavor that’s kind of sweet, salty and smokey all rolled into one. And it helps transform a boring sweet potato into something fancy pants, which is useful if you want to delude your family into thinking that you’ve lovingly spent all day making them something special.
The simple recipe is below. Use real maple syrup. Trust me on this.
What You’ll Need:
- Sweet potatoes
- Maple Syrup
- A few tiny pinches of chocolate sea salt to taste
How To:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Grab as many sweet potatoes as you’d like to make, then wash them well, taking care to scrub them down. Poke holes in various spots with a fork, and carefully place them directly on a top rack of the oven. Wear oven mitts to protect your hands. Place a baking sheet directly below to catch any drippings.
Let them cook for roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how large your sweet potatoes are.
When they’re done, take them out of the oven to cool for a few minutes, then slice them in half and fluff them a bit with a fork. Drizzle a little maple syrup over each half, followed by a few gentle pinches of chocolate sea salt and serve immediately.