These twice-baked sweet potatoes are topped with an amazing chipotle pecan streusel and are an all-time favorite for Thanksgiving!
With American Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks away, you are likely being inundated by recipes and entertaining suggestions on the web, in magazines, and on television. I am guilty of this myself, writing about Green Beans with Balsamic Roasted Shallots and Savory Bread Stuffing with Sausage and Herbs in the last week. Well, I am going to do it to you again. This recipe is a combination of three different recipes from Food & Wine and Gourmet Magazines. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes and added maple syrup benefit from a gentle dose of heat and salt in the chipotle pecan streusel. My friends were the recipients of the overflow from this recipe (the four of us can only eat so much, folks) and described it as "ridiculously delicious". Conveniently, the majority of this dish can be made the day before your feast. Prepare the sweet potatoes and streusel separately and refrigerate. Before serving, sprinkle the streusel on top of the potatoes and bake according to the directions.
While our taste buds are focused on the upcoming holiday, the rest of our bodies have been reveling in the lingering mild temperatures of fall. While we soaked in the rays of the sun and enjoyed the gentle breeze this weekend, we were acutely aware that the temperatures are due to drop this week and the next big snowfall is imminent. Silliness at the soccer fields and enthusiastic leaps into our immense backyard leaf pile seemed like the ideal way to enjoy the last days of fall.
Sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set one rack in the lowest position and the other in the middle of the oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lowest rack.
Rub sweet potatoes with canola oil. With a fork, pierce each potato 5 to 6 times in different places around the potato. Place the potatoes directly on the upper rack and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board to cool slightly.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch layer of potato. Place 8 of the potato shells on a large baking sheet and discard the remaining shells. Place the sweet potato flesh in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Using a whisk, mash and vigorously stir the sweet potato until slightly dry, about 5 minutes. Add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, chipotle chile powder, and salt. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Evenly divide the sweet potato mixture between the shells.
Chipotle Pecans:
Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium heat.
Add pecans, chipotle chile powder, and sugar to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the pecans are coated with the sauce, 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure the pecans do not burn.
Spread the pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with salt, and cool.
Streusel:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, butter, and salt. Using your fingers, mix the ingredients together until combined.
Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake until the streusel mixture is melted together and beginning to bubble, about 15 minutes. Serve.
Other sweet potato recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Sweet Potato Soup with Maple & Bacon
Cookin' Canuck's Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Pancetta & Sage Vinaigrette
Kalyn's Kitchen's Spicy Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
She Wears Many Hats' Sweet Potato Soup with Walnut Pesto
Family Fresh Cooking's Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Crisp
Good Life Eats' Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili
Two Peas and Their Pod's Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Agave Nectar & Fresh Rosemary
Printable Recipe
Twice-Baked Sweet Potato (Yam) Recipe with Chipotle Pecan Streusel
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes:
- 6 medium red-skinned sweet potatoes also called yams
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- pinch salt
Chipotle Pecans:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 â…“ cups pecans
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- pinch salt
Streusel:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- â…” cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly softened
- â…” cup chipotle pecans chopped
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set one rack in the lowest position and the other in the middle of the oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lowest rack.
- Rub sweet potatoes with canola oil. With a fork, pierce each potato 5 to 6 times in different places around the potato. Place the potatoes directly on the upper rack and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board to cool slightly.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch layer of potato. Place 8 of the potato shells on a large baking sheet and discard the remaining shells. Place the sweet potato flesh in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Using a whisk, mash and vigorously stir the sweet potato until slightly dry, about 5 minutes. Add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, chipotle chile powder, and salt. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Evenly divide the sweet potato mixture between the shells.
Chipotle Pecans:
- Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add pecans, chipotle chile powder, and sugar to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the pecans are coated with the sauce, 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure the pecans do not burn. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with salt, and cool.
Streusel:
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, butter, and salt. Using your fingers, mix the ingredients together until combined.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake until the streusel mixture is melted together and beginning to bubble, about 15 minutes. Serve.
Nutrition
Kristin
I've been making your recipe for years for Thanksgiving - but in casserole style rather than individual servings (i.e. sans skins). My family *loves* it! Even the people who don't normally like sweet potatoes 😀 Thank you for sharing this!
Dara
I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that!
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Tiana
I'm going to make this this evening. I'm very excited as I love the mix of sweet and savory.
One little correction, these are not yams. In fact, many people in North America use the terms interchangeably but yams and sweet potatoes are not even botanically related. They're both a starch and a tuber but in terms of taste and nutrition, vastly different. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
angela@spinachtiger
Fantastic take on sweet potatoes with a little heat. Gorgeous too.
Liz
Thank you for the nice recipe, Dara.
Janet
It's becoming routine that I am asked to bring this dish to our family's Thanksgiving dinner. Even those who aren't big fans of sweet potatoes have really enjoyed them. Thank you for this recipe--it's fantastic!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
I'm so happy to hear that, Janet! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family.
collette
I roast sweet potatoes with these same flavors and everyone loves them, never thought to do them as a twice baked potato! Which leads me to making them casserole style- these will be at Thanksgiving this year!
the 7msn ranch
Greatest sweet potato recipe ever. I took these to a friend's for Thanksgiving yesterday and they were a HUGE hit. And I am so looking forward to the extra one that I'll bake for lunch today. The most surprising thing about this recipe was that my Walmart in the middle of nowhere actually had the chipotle chile powder. I feared I would have to substitute but am so glad I didn't because the smokey chipotle flavor adds so much to the dish. Thank you for this recipe.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
I'm so glad to hear that it was a hit! You're right - the chipotle chile powder really does add something special to the potatoes. Have a wonderful weekend.
Elizabeth @ Coppertop Kitchen
Oh my GOODNESS. Oh. Oh oh. I'm sorry, I forgot how to talk because I am now drooling over that first picture. These will be on the menu next week! YUM!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
You've combined one of my favorite flavor combos; what I call sweet heat. I'm SO over sweet potatoes drenched in syrup or covered in more sugar...this looks beyond fabulous Dara!
marla
Seriously, this recipe completes me. You have all of my favorite ingredients here! Love the photos of your family 🙂
Charlotte Ferreux
I love this recipe and blog...I posted it on my community foodie blog. Hope you can come check it out http://www.facebook.com/thefrenchiefoodie
Also, feel free to post you're recipes or you're favourite foodie tips on it whenever you like!
TheHousewifeDiary
We have twice baked potatoes every year on Christmas Day. Never ever thought to do a variation with sweet potatoes. These look amazing! Merry Christmas!
The Urban Baker
this looks crazy good!
Joanne
I think I am quite definitely for sure going to have to make these at some point this holiday season. All 8. Even though I am the only one in my family who likes sweet potatoes. More. For. me.
A Canadian Foodie
This could easily pass as dessert as the yams are sweet enough on their own! What a flavourful recipe! And, stunningly beautiful. YUM!
Valerie
Robyn
These look amazing!!!