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 ⅓ cups pecans
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- pinch salt
Streusel:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly softened
- ⅔ 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
€llY
I love sweet potatoes but here in Italy it's hard to find them. Can I use other type of potatoes?
Emily Malloy
These are perfection!
Jennifer (Savor)
You are so stinking talented - love this recipe
Anonymous
I just came upon your blog surfing blogspot. Really enjoyed looking at your recipes -- love this sweet potato one.
Carolyn
This is a fantastic recipe. I love the combination of flavours, the sweetness from the yams, the streusel, the crunchy pecans, and most of all, the kick of heat from chipotle!
Devaki
What's not to love Dara! You've taken the best of every world and put it on a plate. What a Thanksgiving treat this one! And you are well ahead of the pack (definitely me) in being so well prepared for Thanksgiving...lol...
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Sandy - Everyday Southwest
These look delicious and will fit right in on our Thanksgiving table. Hmm... chipotle... pecans... they look, dare I say, Southwest?
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Sprinkles of Parsley
Yumm!! I love sweet potatoes. My family makes a similar sweet potato souffle that I can eat like candy... that pecan streusel is addicting!
Megan
Everything in this recipe does it for me! A winner!!!
Suzanne aka vivisue
Ooooooo, sweet potatoes and chipotle with some added sweetness and pecans! Be still my heart!
Pegasuslegend
Don't you just love these! I made them a few weeks ago, put pineapple and coconut in them and the pecan praline topping oh they were so yummy with a turkey breast dinner! Yours look awesome!
Drick
this has everything I love in one little boat - I think this is my new love
penny aka jeroxie
This makes such a great snack!
Koci
Now that looks seriously delicious! I love the combination of the pecans, chipotle, and sweet potatoes--so complex and so yummy. I'd love to give this a try this Thanksgiving!
Nancy
I have to admit, most of the yam/sweet potato dishes are too sweet for my taste - but these sound perfect - the heat definitely would cut the sweetness so I am going to making these SOON!!!
Monet
This would be such a lovely addition to my Thanksgiving feast. A truly beautiful recipe paired with some wonderful pictures of family fun! I can only imagine how delicious that streusel on top must have tasted. You had me sold at the pecans!
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker
What a wonderful idea to twice bake sweet potatoes! Yum!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
For me, the pairing of spicy chipotles and sweet potatoes is irresistible.
marla {family fresh cooking}
get out!! I can not believe my eyes. This recipe looks amazing. That smoky bacon streusel is AWESOME! I would enjoy this as a side dish - but also as a dessert. Sweet Potatoes are my favorite. Beautiful photo too! xo
Kalyn
Really gorgeous! Anything with pecans will get my vote. I think there are endless variations for sweet potatoes because the stuffed sweet potatoes I made have chipotle as well, but they're very different.