Herb and Garlic Butter Smashed Sweet Potatoes
These easy to make Herb and Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes are insanely delicious. They make the perfect sweet and savory healthy side dish for a weekend supper or Easter dinner. They're also naturally 100% gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 and can easily be made vegan. Win!
Are you ready to be showered with compliments? Awesome, that's what I thought. Let's carry on with these Smashed Sweet Potatoes and make that happen.
I was told, “These may just be the best sweet potatoes I have ever eaten.” That's an exact quote from my on-the-fence-about-sweet-potatoes handsome man just before he got up to fill his plate with seconds. I'm fairly certain I've never seen him fill his plate twice with anything yam or sweet potato-like.
It's a good sign, don't you think?
See that spoonful of butter? (It's actually ghee, since I'm on day 5 of The Whole30 Program. More about how that's going after the next pic.) Anyway …. that ‘butter' is full of garlic and thyme and rosemary and everything that makes life happy and delicious.
That magic is poured over the smashed sweet potatoes and works its way into all the little nooks and crannies to make this sweet/ savory situation that is totally insane. It also crisps the skin of the sweet potatoes and when you take a bite of the crispy skin with the creamy middles angels sing. ?
And then there are the salty smoky pecans that are toasty and crunchy and bring these smashed sweet potatoes over. the. top.
Can you please promise me you'll add them to your dinner menu this weekend?
So guys, it's day numero cinco of this Whole30 adventure and I'm feeling like I've got this. The book also warned me that right about now I'd be feeling like I have this nailed. How did they know? They know everything.
Those over the top INSANE cravings I had for New York Cheddar Kettle Chips, chocolate bark, and a BarChef cocktail seem to have disappeared in the past few days. I even walked down the chip aisle yesterday without completely losing my mind. ā btw I wasn't playing some torture game with myself, I was looking for Whole30 approved pepperoni to take on a picnic this weekend. Found it!
I'm blaming (thanking?) the awesome food I've been eating for making this easier than I thought it would be. Last night, it was more of these smashed sweet potatoes, garlic thyme seared pork chops, and a giant spinach salad. The night before we sat down to spaghetti and meatballs, mine with zucchini noodles and the handsome man with regular spaghetti. Little Ava got a mix of both of ours. The best of both worlds.
If you're following along on Instagram, I'll be sharing some of the everyday Whole30 approved recipes that don't make it onto the blog. Will you share some of yours, too? Tag #Whole30groupies so I can see what you're cooking!
If you make these Herb and Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Smoky Pecans make sure you snap a pic and tag #theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!
Smashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes, about 1 lb each
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ā½ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme and rosemary
- Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne
Smoky Pecans
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Ā½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1 Ā½ inch rounds. You'll get about 4 per sweet potato. Place them in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat and simmer until soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes. When they've finished cooking, remove them from the pot and place them on the baking sheet.3 sweet potatoes
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the smoky pecans. Melt the 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter in a small pan and add the smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Transfer the pecans to a small baking dish and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes, or until fragrant and starting to brown.1 tablespoon butter, Ā½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 cup pecans, Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne
- While the pecans are toasting, make the herb and garlic butter. Melt butter in the same pan you used for the pecans. Add the garlic, salt, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and cayenne and let the garlic cook for 1 minute.6 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic, Ā½ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme and rosemary, Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt
- Carefully smash the sweet potatoes using a fork. It works best to stab the centers a few times and then use the fork to push the sweet potatoes down around the edges of the circles. Drizzle the herb and garlic butter over the sweet potatoes and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. OPTIONAL: turn the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the tops extra crispy.
- Serve the smashed sweet potatoes with the smoky pecans over top.
In step 3, you say while the sweet potatoes are cooking…are they in the oven at that point or while they are still boiling?
It doesn’t state how long to put them in the oven for until step 5 for 20 minutes.
I’m a little confused š
Sorry for the confusion. It is while they are boiling. š
Outstanding! Ā Included it in our Thanksgiving line-up;
everyone very happy! Ā Thanks so much.
Awesome! So happy you like the recipe!
At what oven temp do you toast the pecans at?
How far in advance can you make this?
The pecans are toasted at 400 degrees. You can boil the sweet potatoes, make the butter, and toast the pecans ahead of time. Then all you need to do before dinner is broil the sweet potatoes. Expect a few extra minutes of cook time if the sweet potatoes are cold. š
What spices would you recommend as substitutes if I wanted to make this AIP? I’m new to the lifestyle and still learn flavor profiles of spices. I appreciate any suggestions you can offer.
I’m honestly not familiar with AIP. I’m sorry!
Thank you for a new, fantastic way to prepare sweet potatoes! Total hit this dish. Everyone loved it, especially the pecans, though we couldn’t find smoky paprika and subbed with garam Marsala.
One thing though, ours were kind of soggy after they came out of the oven. They never really crisped even though I left them even longer with the broiler on. Should I try boiling them a little bit less next time?
Thanks!!!
I’m so happy you liked them! Yes, you might want to boil them a little less. They should be soft but not soggy when they come out of the water. š
Do you peel them? I love this flavor combo. I wonder how to turn this into a casserole for a large group. Weāre having 40 for Thanksgiving.
Nope! The skin helps keep them together and gets a bit crispy when cooked. If you wanted to make them as is, you can boil them and set them on a baking sheet first and make the pecans and butter ahead of time. When the turkey comes out of the oven, you can pop these in to roast while the turkey rests. š
Kristen… I Love how your Meals Look. I’m wanting to know a few things. 1st~When you are saying Roast in the Oven before turning the Broiler on for a minute or so, “What exactly is Roast Temp, in an Oven? (2) I wish there was a Video, Showing…All the ways to Dice,Chop,Finely Dice, Finely Chop, & so on. It’s very confusing to me. Lastly…These Look Absolutely Amazing! Can’t wait to try them. Thank You!!! ?
So you’re going to want to start out by roasting them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Broiling them (when the heat comes from the top of the oven) is only for the last couple of minutes and is to help crisp the tops a little.
That’s a really great idea for a video! There are so many terms and not many explanations. You’ve got me thinking about a new video!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi. I a man in love with the look of these and want to make them for Thanksgiving. I am confused though. It says I cut up the potatoes but then I smash after cooking the whole potato?
So you want to cut the sweet potatoes into thick rounds and boil them so they are partially cooked. After that, you place them on a baking sheet and gently smash them before you finish cooking them in the oven. Cooking them this way makes the centers creamy (like mashed sweet potatoes) while the skin gets slightly crispy. Does that make more sense?
Wowza. These look amazing!! Love love love sweet potatoes, and this is such a fun and delciious new way to make them!
Thank you so much! They really are my fav sweet potato recipe!
thank you for this since I love sweet potatoes, love the pecans, have never done anything but roast them so this looks wonderful with butter, paprika, cayenne, etc!
You’re so welcome! I love them, too. It’s always nice to switch up how we cook something, isn’t it? š