Simple Orange Thyme Sweet Potatoes

Baked sweet potatoes are topped with rich butter infused with orange zest and fresh thyme. These Orange Thyme Sweet Potatoes are a super simple Thanksgiving side dish, and who doesn’t appreciate simple when you have so much to prepare for the big meal? Skip the sweet potato casserole this year and save on prep time because this recipe is simple, nutritious, and packed with seasonal flavors…let’s get started!

Prepare the potato

There are a few ways to bake a sweet potato, but regardless of your method of choice, it’s important to always bake them on a sheet pan because as they cook, that sweet liquid will leak out of the fork holes and make a huge mess of your oven. I take it a step further and line the baking sheet with parchment paper to avoid cleaning a sticky mess on my sheet pan.

As for the baking method, my preference is the following:

• Wash the potato and pat dry with a towel or paper towel.
• Poke holes in the potato using a fork
• Bake at 400 degrees until a knife is easily inserted into the potato. The bake time is typically somewhere between 45 – 65 minutes depending on the size of the potato.

A simple variation for a sweet tooth

My oldest son has a major sweet tooth. To take this sweet-savory side dish to the sweeter side, I simply drizzle about one tablespoon honey or real maple syrup over the top of the sweet potato after the orange thyme butter has melted. The result is part side dish, part dessert and 100% perfection!

What’s in Simple Orange Thyme Sweet Potatoes

• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Pick the leaves from the sprig and chop them.
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• salt to taste

How to make Simple Orange Thyme Sweet Potatoes

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Wash and pat dry the sweet potatoes with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
• Once the sweet potatoes are dry, pierce them 5-6 times with a fork.
• Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork is easily inserted into the sweet potato.
• Mix the butter, thyme and orange zest thoroughly.
• Cut a slit in each sweet potato and place about 1/2 tablespoon of the butter mixture on each sweet potato and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Simple Orange Thyme Sweet Potatoes

Simple Orange Thyme Sweet potatoes are baked sweet potatoes topped with rich butter and infused with orange zest and fresh thyme.

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Course sides

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 4 sweet potatoes medium-sized
• 2 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme pick the leaves from the sprig and chop them.
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Wash and pat dry the sweet potatoes with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
• Once the sweet potatoes are dry, pierce them 5-6 times with a fork.
• Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork is easily inserted into the sweet potato.
• Mix the butter, thyme and orange zest thoroughly.
• Cut a slit in each sweet potato and place about 1/2 tablespoon of the butter mixture on each sweet potato and sprinkle with salt to taste.
• If you prefer a sweeter sweet potato, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of honey or real maple syrup on top after the butter has melted (optional).

Keyword orange butter sweet potatoes, orange thyme sweet potatoes, orange zest sweet potatoes, thyme butter sweet potatoes

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