Earthy roasted sweet potatoes get all dressed up for the holidays with a hasselback application and lots of fragrant garlic butter and fresh thyme. A little knife work goes a long way for this show-stopping side dish.
Contains: milk.
What You Get
Sweet potatoes
Garlic
Thyme
Butter
Smoked paprika
Lemon
What You'll Need
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil.
Step 2
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange on a cutting board, cut side down, and use a very sharp or serrated knife to carefully cut ⅛ slits crosswise in the potato without cutting through the bottom. If you have any chopsticks or skewers on hand, you can place them on either side of the potato halves to stop your knife from going all the way through.
Step 3
Arrange the potatoes in a single layer with the sliced side facing up and the flat side down on the prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to the oven. Roast until the potatoes are carmelized on the bottom and tender throughout, 30 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, finely chop 6 cloves of garlic. Pick a tablespoon of thyme leaves and toss the stems In a small saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter, and continue to cook until browned and nutty, 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika along with half of the thyme and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl to stop the cooking process.
Step 5
When the potatoes are ready, use a fork to gently separate the slices to make room for the garlic butter. Brush the sliced side of the potatoes with the butter, reserving 2 tablespoons to finish the dish. Transfer the pan back to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes to let the flavors combine.
Step 6
Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with the reserved butter, squeeze with the juice from the lemon, sprinkle with the reserved thyme, and serve.