Sweet and delicious, roasted Hasselback sweet potatoes make an impressive presentation yet are easy enough to add to your everyday menu. No hassle required!
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray baking dish lightly with cooking spray (see note).
Prepare sweet potatoes: Place wooden chopsticks or wooden spoons on either side of one sweet potato. Carefully cut thin slices (about ¼ -inch) into the sweet potato, being careful not to slice all the way through. The chopsticks/wooden spoons will keep your knife from going too far. Place sweet potatoes into prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Pour this mixture over the prepared sweet potatoes, slightly separating the slices so that the butter mixture gets inside.
Cover the dish with foil, place in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until nearly tender. .
Take potatoes out of the oven, remove foil, spoon the butter mixture from the bottom of the pan over the potatoes, and return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Repeat this process once, and bake 10 minutes more. You want to have a nice glaze on the sweet potatoes
Serve with julienned apples sprinkled on top, if desired.
Video
Notes
Choose a baking dish that will accommodate all four whole sweet potatoes, side by side, with a little extra room to allow the potatoes to fan out a bit.
Make Ahead: Prepare and bake the potatoes as directed. Let cool in the dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat uncovered in a 350ºF oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
If you prefer, use smaller-sized potatoes. They will bake more quickly.