Simple to make, sounds fancy, tastes fab. Home run! (Pssst – Excellent holiday side dish)
Fondant Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Stick the word “fondant” in front of “potato”, and suddenly your everyday spuds sound a whole lot fancier. But in reality, it’s just potatoes that have been slow-roasted with a little stock until they absorb the flavour. They become creamy and savoury on the inside, and golden caramelised on the outside. Just a little bit of extra effort for which you will reap very big rewards. While you can “fondant” ordinary potatoes, I think it’s even better with sweet potatoes. Especially if you douse them with the optional-but-not-really Maple Butter Pecan Sauce!
What you need for Fondant Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Here’s what you need:
For the Fondant Potatoes:
Sweet potatoes – 1.25 – 1.5 kg / 2.5 – 3 lb or 3 medium/large ones, preferably around the same size. Basically you need enough to fill a roasting pan with 3cm / 1.2″ thick rounds, leaving some space between each one. Leave the skin on – it’s free extra nutrition but also holds the slices together even when they are meltingly tender inside;Butter AND oil for roasting – we love butter for flavour, but it burns at high temperatures. So to help minimise this, we use a combination of butter with oil so we get the best of both worlds – the buttery flavour and some nice browning which you can only achieve in a hot oven; andSalt & pepper.
For the Maple Butter Pecan Sauce:
Maple syrup – pure maple syrup is best, for the best flavour! If you can’t get or your budget doesn’t extend to pure maple syrup, opt for honey rather than artificially-flavoured maple syrup;Butter – to add a touch of buttery richness into the sauce; andChopped pecans – best to chop whole ones yourself for better flavour than buying pre-chopped. Also terrific with walnuts, almonds, pistachios – and probably more, I just haven’t tried!
How to make Fondant Sweet Potatoes
Here’s how to make fondant sweet potatoes: This is what they look out of the oven – caramelised on the edges with the skin holding together the super soft flesh inside!
How to make the Maple Butter Pecan Sauce
Plonk and simmer – Toast the pecans in a dry pan first to bring out the nutty flavours. Then just add butter, maple, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and simmer for a couple of minutes until it reduces and thickens slightly. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it looks thin when hot!
Sweetness factor – and how to reduce sweetness
With the sweet potato and the Maple Butter Sauce, there’s no denying that this is a sweet dish so it might not be to your taste if you aren’t into sweet-savoury dishes. However, unlike other similar sweet potato dishes, this has an element of savoury in it from the stock absorbed by the potatoes and the nuts which counteracts the sweetness. Also, remember that you’re not supposed to eat the whole platter yourself, just one or two pieces (each piece is a sizeable chunk!) and it’s best served alongside properly savoury dishes for balance. But if you want to reduce the sweetness, here are a few options:
Skip the sauce – the Fondant Sweet Potatoes have enough flavour as it is, the sauce just takes it over the top! Just use the pecans sprinkled over the potatoes, ie. no maple sauce;Use the Honey Lemon Dressing in this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad recipe instead – the lemon balances out the sweetness. Switch the honey for maple syrup to retain a similar flavour profile!
What to serve with Fondant Sweet Potatoes
The flavourings in this dish are certainly on-theme for holiday feasting. It’s right at home on a Christmas or Thanksgiving table. Having said that, it’s just generally an excellent, simple side dish that’s worthy of pulling out all year-round whether it’s to accompany something simple like a lime marinated chicken, a simple crispy pan fried fish or Garlic Prawns. It’s also a handy dish for big feasting occasions because it can be served warm OR at room temperature, so you don’t need to worry about preparing it fresh. The potatoes are so soft inside and there’s no crispiness to be retained on the outside so it doesn’t matter if they cool down. If you give this sweet potato recipe a go, I’d love to know how you served it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
More sweet potato love
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing Spiral Sweet Potato Bake Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks Wickedly Delish Sweet Potato Salad Browned Butter Savoury Sweet Potato Casserole Sweet Potato
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