I ‘ve been making so many “one pot” or “skillet” meals lately that I’ve barely made any traditional side dishes. I get a lot of questions about side dishes, though, so I’ve decided to challenge myself to come up with some more vegetable based sides. These Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes are just one idea that I’ve had up my sleeve…
I love the mix of sweet, spicy, and smoky, so I took the spice rub that was used for the famed Glazed Pork Chops and applied it to sweet potatoes. I altered the ratio of the ingredients just a bit to account for the cooking method and the fact that the sweet potatoes provide a good amount of sweetness on their own. I sliced the sweet potatoes thinly for a more interesting texture, but you could certainly cube them if you didn’t feel like exercising your knife skills. ;) (Or you could use a mandolin.)
The cooking time for these Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes will vary slightly depending on the size and thickness of your sweet potatoes, so use my recommendations as a guide. You’ll want to test the sweet potatoes with a fork for doneness, just to be sure.
Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 2 lbs. ($2.50)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper, 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill ($0.03)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1/8-inch thick slices.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
- Place the sweet potato slices in a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil over top. Sprinkle the spice mix over the sweet potatoes, then toss until the potatoes are evenly coated in oil and spices.
- Arrange the seasoned sweet potato slices in a casserole dish, stacked in a row like a deck of cards. They don’t have to be perfect.
- Cover the dish with foil and roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let cook for an additional 15 minutes. Test the sweet potatoes with a fork for doneness. If they’re still firm, allow them to roast for an additional 10-15 minutes. If they become too brown during that time, simply cover the dish with foil to prevent further browning.
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How to Make Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Step by Step Photos
Start with two average sized sweet potatoes, or about two pounds. Oh, and start preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes. Slice them fairly thin, about 1/8 inch, to help them cook a little faster.
Prepare the smoky spice mix by stirring together 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional), 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).
Drizzle 2 Tbsp of olive oil over the sweet potatoes, then sprinkle on the smoky spice mix. Toss the ingredients until they’re evenly coated in oil and spices (this takes a little bit of mixing… use your hands).
Arrange the slices in a casserole dish, standing face to face. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I didn’t even turn the pieces all the same way, I just grabbed a stack and sat them in the dish until it was all filled up (squeezed a few down the center, too).
Cover the dish with foil and let it roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Test the sweet potatoes with a fork to make sure they’re tender (pick a larger piece to pierce). If they’re still a bit solid, let them roast another 10-15 minutes. The total time needed will depend on how thick or thin your slices are and maybe even the size or shape of your dish.
I would normally never comment on a website like this, but these sweet potatoes were SO GOOD. So easy to prepare, pretty darn healthy, and SO GOOD. My roommates and I ate them all in one sitting. I’ll be introducing this recipe to anyone that will listen
These are so incredibly tasty and delicious!! Every time I have made this, everyone wants to eat more. I love this recipe you gave us, because it is also so easy and quick to prepare.
I made these and I think they are my new favorite way to enjoy sweet potatoes. Awesome recipe!
Dang, Beth, you’ve done it again. These sweet potatoes are sooooo good!
This looks so delicious! I’m going to try it tonight! Is there another substitute I could use for brown sugar? Would it taste similar if I used honey or agave?
Yes, I think honey would be really good. :)
This is the second recipe I’ve made from your site (the first was the Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup). When I decided I wanted to make this recipe I discovered that I didn’t have all of the correct spices in my cupboard but I did have something called “Perfect Pinch Salt Free Southwest Sweet n Smoky Seasoning” on hand. It has almost the same ingredients as your blend so I just used that instead. (I promise I don’t work for McCormick!) I also added black pepper as you suggested and a small amount of cinnamon, too. It turned out wonderfully except that after cooking the soup and now this, my wife says I’m in charge of cooking all meals from now on!
This recipe is soooo good and a favorite when we take to parties and potlucks. It’s now 100+ degrees, and I need to make a double batch for 4th of July. Any thoughts on cooking this in the slow cooker? On high for a few hours? Not sure how to convert with the higher roasting temperature. Thank you for this website. We seriously have at least 2 meals a week from it. You’ve helped me with my cooking skills and confidence over the years, and I’ve eaten and enjoyed so many things that I would have been too scared to try normally.
Well, the major difference between the slow cooker and the oven is that the slow cooker holds in moisture and creates a moist cooking environment, whereas the oven is a dry cooking environment. You’ll get much softer mash-like potatoes in the slow cooker. I’m not sure what time/temp would be needed to cook them in the slow cooker, though.
This is very late, but in case someone is reading the comments and wonders–I’ve used these seasonings with mashed sweet potatoes (both my wife and I have arthritis in our hands, and slicing raw sweet potatoes can be a challenge since they’re so hard, but I loved the flavors and wanted to be able to keep making them without shelling out for pre-chopped sweet potato cubes). I bake the sweet potatoes until they’re soft, scoop out the potato, and then mix in the seasonings. (I use whipped butter instead of oil, and start with 1 Tbsp, adding more if I think it needs it.) The flavor is still great.
So you could probably adapt this to crock-pot cooking–a different texture, but similar flavor.
My husband loves to cook on the charcoal grill. He likes to grill the veggies alongside the meat. We have grill pans for this or cook on heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent small pieces from falling through the grill.
Any suggestions how this might work on the grill?
I think the foil packet method is a good choice! I haven’t really cooked much on a grill myself (sadly, I don’t own one), so I don’t think I can offer much help. :(
I loved the smoky taste of these sweet potatoes!
These were fantastic! Instead of salt I used about 1/8 tsp ghost pepper salt which my husband got for Christmas from my parents. I also used smoked paprika which really enhanced the smoky flavor. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again and again! I wonder if I could convince every one to do a spicy Thanksgiving theme!
Just made this. DELISH! I used white sweet potatoes and it turned out great! Will definitely be making this again.
I made these the other night and the flavour was fantastic, but I just couldn’t get my potatoes to cook all the way through. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but some of them just didn’t cook properly – but I will have to try again, the flavour is really yummy!
If possible, try slicing them a little thinner. :)
Can these be frozen?
Potatoes do okay when frozen. They may dry out some, but in general will thaw and reheat okay.
Do you think this could work with 1 pound of potatoes? I haven’t been able to get my kids turned on to sweet potatoes yet, but my husband and I are huge fans.
Yep! You might want to use a smaller dish, if you have one and it might not take quite as long to make them tender.
I made these this weekend and they were amazing! I couldn’t stop eating them out of the pan!