These fondant sweet potatoes are pillowy soft and full of flavor! After being baked they are drizzled in a rosemary maple sauce. These dreamy sweet potatoes are an excellent holiday side dish or perfect for a dinner party!
If you have never had fondant potatoes, your world is about to be changed! Fondant style potatoes are a method of cooking potatoes. They are cut into cylindrical shape knobs and slowly roasted in butter & stock. The potatoes absorb all the flavor and juices making them so soft & flavorful on the inside and have a caramelized exterior.
Alongside the melt-in-your-mouth potatoes is a rosemary maple sauce! It is herby, sweet, & buttery. This sauce intensifies the mellow flavor of the sweet potatoes.
These fondant sweet potatoes belong on everyone's holiday table! They would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. They are usually the first to go at family gatherings since they are so addicting & flavorful! The best potatoes for every occasion!
If you love this sweet potato recipe, you would also love sweet potato gnocchi, sweet potato crostini with goat cheese and candied pecans, and chickpea sweet potato curry.
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ingredients 🧾
fondant sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes: You will need 3 pounds of sweet potatoes for this recipe. Try to get potatoes that are less wide and more long. When we cut the potatoes, we want them to be in large cubes as even as possible. I have found that 3 pounds is typically 3 large sweet potatoes or 4 medium sweet potatoes but be sure to weigh them when purchasing.
Butter: Butter adds a rich flavor when roasting the potatoes. You will need only 2 tablespoons of melted salted butter. My favorite is Kerrygold.
Olive oil: You will need 2 tablespoons of olive oil when roasting the sweet potatoes. Use a good quality olive oil for this recipe.
Seasoning: We keep the seasoning on the fondant potatoes pretty simple since the potatoes and sauce hold so much flavor! Just 1 teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper is added to the potatoes.
Chicken stock: Chicken stock is a very important ingredient to fondant potatoes! For best results, use chicken stock instead of chicken broth. Stock comes from bones whereas broth comes from meat. Stock and bone broth is so much more flavorful and nutritious. If you are vegan/vegetarian, you can also use vegetable stock.
Garlic: A little garlic goes a long way in this recipe. Since the chicken stock absorbs all the flavors added to it when roasting, the garlic flavor really gets intensified. Just 2 smashed garlic cloves are enough.
Rosemary: The rosemary and garlic is added to flavor the broth. I like using fresh rosemary for these potatoes since it is the most aromatic herb. When basting the potatoes it smells like heaven when the rosemary is sizzling in the butter! It also adds a peppery pine-like flavor!
rosemary maple sauce
Rosemary: More rosemary in the sauce because duh! All that herby goodness we want on both the potatoes and buttery sauce.
Maple syrup: ⅓ cup maple syrup adds sweetness and viscosity to the sauce. Maple flavor is like a match made in heaven with sweet potatoes.
Butter: The base of the sauce is hot butter. It coats the potatoes and gives the sauce a rich aspect.
Cinnamon: You will need ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to spice the sauce up!
Salt: Just a pinch of sea salt for good measure!
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
variations & substitutions 📖
Use whatever fresh herbs are your favorite! Personally, rosemary is my favorite herb which is why I use it so much in this recipe, but you could also use sage leaves, fresh thyme sprigs, or even oregano! The potatoes will really take on the flavor of the herb.
If you don't have maple syrup, you can also use honey. Honey will give the sauce a floral & fruity flavor profile than mapley & caramel. You can substitute maple syrup for honey 1:1.
tips & tricks 👩🏻🍳
Use a cast-iron pan! This is the most important aspect of perfecting these potatoes. A cast iron skillet distributes heat evenly and gives the potatoes their caramelized crisp exterior.
Don't skip basting the top of the potatoes. After the potatoes are roasted, rosemary and garlic is added to the hot butter. Not only does basting get the flavor from the pan juices in the potatoes but it distributes the fat from the butter all over the potato pieces to make them crisp.
step by step instructions 🔪
Prior to starting, preheat the oven and prep the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 450F. Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes into 1 inch thick rounds. Try to make the sweet potatoes chunks as even as possible so that they can cook at the same pace. You can leave the sweet potato skin on for a more crisp exterior or peel it off for a melt-in-your-mount fondant potato.
Step #1 - Toss & coat. Place the potatoes in a cast iron skillet pan or casserole dish. Toss the potatoes in the melted butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Move around the potatoes so that they are not touching each other and are placed in a single layer. Make sure the potatoes have the flat side of the round against the pan.
Step #2 - Roast. Place the coated potatoes in the hot oven to bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and flip them so the other flat side of the potato is now touching the pan. Roast for another 15 minutes.
Step #3 - Baste. My favorite part of this process! Remove the roasted sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully tilt the pan, drawing all of the hot butter to one side of the hot skillet. In the puddle of butter, add the fresh rosemary and smashed garlic. Then using a spoon, scoop the butter and pour it on the tops of the sweet potatoes. Repeat this step for about 2 minutes until all of the sweet potato chunks have been fully basted.
Step #4 - Add stock. Carefully add in the chicken stock. Then return to the oven to roast for another 15-25 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
Step #5 - Sauce time! While the sweet potatoes finish baking, make the rosemary maple sauce. Start by browning the butter. Place the butter in a light colored medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will begin to foam and sizzle. In about 5-8 minutes from when you started, the melted butter will become golden brown. Once the foam subsides, you will see the milk solids at the bottom be toasty brown. Now reduce the pan to medium-low heat. Then add in the maple syrup, cinnamon, rosemary, and a pinch of salt. Let that thicken on low heat for about 2 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
Step #6 - Final touches. The only thing left to do is get out your sweet potatoes and make em' pretty! Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle the fondant sweet potatoes in the rosemary maple sauce. Sprinkle with chunky sea salt.
serving suggestions 🍽️
Serve fondant sweet potatoes warm on a serving platter with rosemary maple sauce on the side or drizzled on top.
For more holiday side dishes, try brie mac and cheese, lawrys creamed corn, and gouda au gratin potatoes.
storage & reheating ⏲️
Leftover fondant sweet potatoes can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
These potatoes are best eaten immediately after making, but they can be reheated in a pan, if needed. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat, add the potatoes to the pan, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove the cover, flip the potatoes, and cook uncovered for another couple minutes until warmed throughout.
faq's ❓
If your fondant potatoes come out soggy, that is most likely due to too much liquid in the pan. The liquid should be about ⅔ way up the side of the potato so that when they bake, the potatoes absorb the stock, and then continue cooking without liquid to crisp up the exterior. Make sure you are using a cast iron skillet and that it is the right size to have the stock more than halfway up the potato side!
No! Do not cover the potatoes when roasting. Covering the potatoes instead of leaving them uncovered would steam them rather than searing them.
Baste these fondant sweet potatoes without the heat on. If the heat is too high, it will burn the butter and garlic and create a bitter taste. Removing the pan from the heat completely will still infuse the butter with the garlic and rosemary from the heat of the skillet.
other side dish recipes
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recipe 📋
Fondant Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary Maple Sauce
These fondant sweet potatoes are pillowy soft and full of flavor! After being baked they are drizzled in a rosemary maple sauce. These dreamy sweet potatoes are an excellent holiday side dish or perfect for a dinner party!
Ingredients
Fondant sweet potatoes
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large ones of 4 medium ones, long instead of wide, evenly sized, peeled & cut into 1 inch rounds)
- 2 tablespoons high quality salted butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 garlic cloves (smashed)
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Rosemary maple sauce
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons high quality unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes into 1 inch thick rounds. Try to make the sweet potatoes chunks as even as possible so that they can cook at the same pace.
- Place the potatoes in a cast iron pan or casserole dish. Toss the potatoes in the melted butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Move around the potatoes so that they are not touching each other and are placed in a single layer. Make sure the potatoes have the flat side of the round against the pan.
- Place the coated potatoes in the hot oven to bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and flip them so the other flat side of the potato is now touching the pan. Roast for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the roasted sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully tilt the pan, drawing all of the hot butter to one side of the hot skillet. In the puddle of butter, add the fresh rosemary and smashed garlic. Then using a spoon, scoop the butter and pour it on the tops of the sweet potatoes. Repeat this step for about 2 minutes until all of the sweet potato chunks have been fully basted.
- Carefully add in the chicken stock. Then return to the oven to roast for another 15-25 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
- While the sweet potatoes finish baking, make the rosemary maple sauce. Start by browning the butter. Place the butter in a light colored medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will begin to foam and sizzle. In about 5-8 minutes from when you started, the melted butter will become golden brown. Once the foam subsides, you will see the milk solids at the bottom be toasty brown. Now reduce the pan to medium-low heat. Then add in the maple syrup, cinnamon, rosemary, and a pinch of salt. Let that thicken on low heat for about 2 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle the fondant sweet potatoes in the rosemary maple sauce. Sprinkle with chunky sea salt.
Notes
Storage Instructions:
Leftover fondant sweet potatoes can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions:
These potatoes are best eaten immediately after making, but they can be reheated in a pan, if needed. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat, add the potatoes to the pan, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove the cover, flip the potatoes, and cook uncovered for another couple minutes until warmed throughout.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 614Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 821mgCarbohydrates: 91gFiber: 12gSugar: 39gProtein: 9g
All nutrition facts are estimations. Please see a physician for any health-related inquiries.
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