Miso Butter Sweet Potatoes

 

Crispy and caramelized, packed with the umami of miso and a hint of heat will make these your “go-to” recipe to satisfy your roasted sweet potato fix.

Are Yams & Sweet Potatoes the Same?

There is so much history behind the sweet potato and yam. In America, that orange-fleshed creamy root vegetable we so readily call a yam is, in fact, not a yam but a sweet potato.

Yams and sweet potatoes are completely different vegetables. While yams are tubers, sweet potatoes are a root vegetable. The varieties that we see in American grocery stores are all sweet potatoes, even if the sign says yam. It’s actually very rare that you will find yams in American grocery stores. If you’re looking for yams you will likely find them at a local African, Asian, or Caribbean store.

Yams are an important part of West African food traditions and the yam and sweet potato mix up in America can be traced to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. To learn more, please check out Food and Wine’s article The Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes is Structural Racism.

What Is Miso (Mē-sō)?

The quick and dirty on miso is that it is a fermented soybean paste (sometimes it can be combined with rice ) that is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking. It’s a little bit earthy, salty, funky; it can be dark or light; its deep flavors get better with time. For this dish we’ll be using white miso but if you only have dark miso on hand go for it.

 

What’s in Miso Butter Sweet Potatoes?

This dish is packed with all kinds of goodness. Let’s check out all the ingredients you need.

• Sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Scallions
• White miso but you can also use dark
• Tamari or soy sauce
• Rice or apple cider vinegar
• Honey
• Red pepper flakes
• Shallot
• Ginger
• Butter
• Sesame seeds

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How To Make Miso Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• Cut the potatoes, trying to get each cube roughly the same size.
• Combine miso, tamari, rice vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, shallot, ginger, and melted butter in a small bowl.
• Toss the cubes with your miso butter sauce and coat well. Reserve a little sauce to pour over potatoes once cooked. Put sweet potatoes on a lined sheet pan in one layer. Do not overcrowd the sweet potatoes because you want them to caramelize not steam.
• Cook at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, tossing the sweet potatoes every 10-15 minutes to prevent them from burning and to get an even cook and caramelization. This should take about 25-35 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. I also like a little char on mine.

Let’s Get Cooking!

If you need a little video inspiration check out my IG show, Breaking Bread Live, where I’m cooking these sweet potatoes. Show me what you’re working with and tag @savorandsage and #savorandsage so I can see all your sweet potato goodness!

 

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