Melting Sweet Potatoes

Thought glazed sweet potatoes always needed brown sugar, orange juice, or pecans? Think again. Coated in a savory maple-miso sauce, these melting sweet potatoes are here to challenge everything we think a sweet potato can be—and win us over with their deliciousness.

The maple-miso sauce:
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that’s often used in Japanese cooking. While it’s available in several different varieties, I highly recommend using white miso in this recipe: Its delicate savory flavor adds beautiful umami and richness to the maple syrup without threatening to take over.

If you’re using miso that’s straight out of the refrigerator, it may clump when you try to combine it with the other sauce ingredients. In that case, I recommend microwaving the glaze in 10-second increments, whisking in between each, until it smooths out. Do NOT pour a lumpy glaze into the pan and expect that simmering will smooth it out; you’ll just end up with lumps of miso on top of your sweet potatoes, which is not the vibe we’re going for.

Cooking the sweet potatoes:
Sweet potatoes contain a decent amount of sugar, which means they can go from golden-brown to black in the pan in seconds flat. For this reason, I recommend sticking close by, tongs in hand, the entire time the sweet potatoes are searing—also checking the bottoms frequently once you’ve hit the 90-second mark on the first side. If some of the potatoes do go a little darker, though, don’t panic: They most likely won’t taste burnt, even if they appear to be.

Storage:
Any leftover melting sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should stay good for up to 3 days.