Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter
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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter are a deliciously elegant way to serve sweet potatoes this holiday season. Carefully slice sweet potatoes — without cutting all the way through — and fan them slightly apart. Drizzle them with olive oil and bake in cast iron until the sweet potatoes are tender through and through.
While still hot from the oven, brush on the delicious compound butter flavored with maple syrup and cinnamon. Let it melt between all the slices and you have a sweet potato side dish with all the flavors of the classic casserole.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter
Every year, our family gets together for a Thanksgiving meal and we all pitch in by bringing a dish. It’s basically our Thanksgiving potluck because usually everyone brings the same dish year-after-year.
Is your family like that? Are you known for a special dish? We’ll have roast turkey, of course, but my sister makes a creamy chicken enchilada casserole every year and the kids love it!
Usually my brother-in-law will hint for me to make my sweet potato casserole for our family potluck. It’s delicious, too, but it’s loaded with plenty of sugar and butter.
This year, I thought these Hasselback Sweet Potatoes would be a tasty alternative without packing on all those extra calories. Besides that, I think they are just FANCY — and are actually EASIER to make than my normal sweet potato dish — and the maple cinnamon butter is so good!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalms 107:1
FUN POTATO NUTRITION FACTS
Did you know sweet potatoes are lower in carbs and calories while Irish potatoes are lower in fat and sugar? Check out the chart below for more potato nutritional comparisons according to the USDA.
How to Cut Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
You’ll need to take extra care when slicing sweet potatoes because they are very dense. It takes a little muscle to cut through, so be careful not to let a sharp knife slip.
The first time I made these Hasselback Sweet Potatoes, I used really large yams. After that, I decided using a smaller potato would work much better and be much safer!
For hasselback-style, you want to make thin even cuts without slicing all the way through the potato. I found that lining up chopsticks as a guide along either side of the sweet potato helps. This way, the knife will stop before it goes all the way through. Once all the cuts are made, gently fan the sweet potatoes apart.
How to make Maple Cinnamon Butter
- Start with softened butter. Using an electric mixer, mix until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add maple syrup and cinnamon.
- Whip again until all the syrup and cinnamon are incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
- Chill until ready to use. This butter is delicious — try it on hot biscuits!
More Sweet Potato Recipes!
- Sweet Potato Soufflés — baked in individual ramekins and served warm from the oven with a dollop of whipped cream
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes — a simple vegetable side dish packed with so much flavor and goodness you’ll find yourself serving it again and again
- Sweet Potato Salad — gets spice from diced fresh jalapeño and sweetness from a simple maple syrup vinaigrette
- And, for a bit of fun… Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips for a fresher, healthier snack!
To make this recipe you may need…
Every Southern cook needs a good cast iron skillet. Not only does it work great for this Hasselback Sweet Potato recipe, but I love baking Irish potatoes in cast iron (just brush them in oil and sprinkle with sea salt) because they get nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter Recipe
If you’re looking to watch calories on Thanksgiving, these yummy yams are a bit healthier (not so much sugar added like in the traditional casserole).
Also, the recipe for Maple Cinnamon Butter can easily be adjusted if you’re expecting a big crowd. Just double or triple the amount of ingredients depending on the number of sweet potatoes you’re preparing for your Thanksgiving feast.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Maple Cinnamon Butter
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt
Maple Cinnamon Butter
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Pecans for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes. On a cutting board, slice into 1/8 inch increments, being careful not to slice all the way through. Line chopsticks on either side of the potato as a guide will help.
- Gently fan potatoes and then rub outsides with olive oil–it’s okay if some of the olive oil drips between the slices. Sprinkle the skins with sea salt.
- Bake the potatoes 45-60 minutes or until tender. Test for doneness near the base of the potato with a fork.
- Remove from oven; gently fan the slices with a fork and top with the Maple Cinnamon Butter (about 2 tablespoons per large potato), allowing it to melt into the slices. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired.
Maple Cinnamon Butter
- Cream butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla and beat until combined. Chill until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Sheila this recipe is a keeper, absolute comfort food. A meal on their own, or with your favourite fish or steak. Everyone asks “ are there seconds “ that’s how good they taste. Thank you.
Would like to make these, anyone figure out what the 7th ingredient (1/4 teaspoon syrup) means? I’m sure I could work my way through, but I like to follow the recipe the first time I make something new, then adjust ingredients thereafter.
Hi, Jo! You found a typo in the recipe. I’ve corrected it now…the ingredient should be 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Thanks!
Sheila, these were amazing. I skipped the cinnamon and just drizzled them with some maple syrup and sprinkled with pecans near the end of the cooking time. They were so easy. And very tasty. We’ll definitely do this again.
Such a wonderful idea!! Absolutely love it!