It's almost here!! The biggest food holiday of the year. Thanksgiving! I for one cannot wait! Today I am sharing a recipe for Maple Butter Sweet Potato Stacks that is pretty, festive and lighter than traditional casseroles.
Fun Fact
Did you know that Philadelphia is the third largest butter market in the U.S.?
in 2016, Philadelphians bought more than 2.5 million pounds of butter. That's over 10 million sticks (I was responsible for about 32 of those, lol)!
That's enough sticks of butter to run Rocky's path up and down the Philadelphia Art Museum steps 28,693 times!
Growing up in Philly, sweet potatoes were not something we ate, I rarely saw them and they were not grown in my dad's massive garden (and I feel like he grew everything).
The only time I saw sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving and Christmas and even then they came from a pre-packaged box from the freezer.
A box! It was so odd to me because of all the effort that went into holiday cooking by my parents/grandmothers and then there was this box of candied sweet potatoes. Only my mom ate them, so she just wouldn't cook them for herself, hence the box for one, lol!
Years later, one Thanksgiving, I tried my boyfriend's (now husband) grandmother's "famous" Sweet Potatoes, just to be nice, mind you because I didn't like them (even though I don't think I had ever tried them). I was blown away, they were incredible! I couldn't stop eating them!
John didn't believe me, he thought I was just being nice to his grandmom, I had been missing out all those year, my mom was right!!
Sweet Potatoes For Thanksgiving
So I began experimenting with various ways to make sweet potatoes and now they are always on the table for holidays and various dinners throughout the year.
These Sweet Potato Stacks are not difficult to make and are a pretty accent to any holiday or Sunday dinner.
I love the sweet crunch you can get from the bottom and sides as well as the flavor of the maple butter sauce.
If you enjoy a little heat in your food, feel free to add a bit of cayenne pepper. I scattered some Maple Flakes overtop as well…Not necessary, but I love the flavor and crunch.
The Maple Butter is delicious! Try to not eat it off the spoon ☺
Ingredients
- butter
- grapeseed or olive oil
- s&p
- fresh thyme
- sweet potatoes
- maple syrup
- Parmesan cheese
Tips
- You can make these potato stacks in a muffin pan if you want, it depends on the size of your sweet potatoes if it will fit or not. I typically just make them on a baking sheet.
- If making on a baking sheet, stack firmly and well. Be gentle pulling the pan out of the oven. I don't make them very tall. If one or two do tip over, no biggie, just use a small spatula and fork and slide it back into a stack.
These potatoes are a nice change from the heavy, brown sugar and marshmallow-laden casseroles that are popular for Thanksgiving.
Plus they look pretty and sophisticated on a platter, meanwhile, they were so easy, just slice, toss, stack and bake.
I love the tradition of preparing for the feast with my kids, especially my daughter who hasn't left my side when it comes to holiday cooking since she was 7.
She's now 13 and always wants us to host so we can do our thing together. What's your favorite Thanksgiving family tradition or dish/dessert?
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are surrounded by family/friends, good food and may all the dishes clean themselves!
You may also enjoy these Thanksgiving recipes
- The Original Pumpkin Pie - Everyone will be talking about this one!
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Log
- Nantucket Pie aka Cranberry Pie - A vintage New England Recipe, not actually a pie. Wows the room every time!
- Cranberry Soda Bread - Irish Soda Bread with a holiday twist. Moist, sweet, tart and festive!
- Smoked Turkey - Once you make a smoked turkey there is no turning back!
Recipe originally published in 2017, updated November 2022.
Maple Butter Sweet Potato Stacks
Ingredients
- 3 TBS melted butter
- 1 TBS grapeseed or olive oil
- Kosher salt & pepper
- Fresh Thyme
- 2 sweet potatoes
- Maple Butter
- 4 TBS melted butter
- 3 TBS maple syrup
- Shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small bowl, or mason jar combine melted butter, olive oil, salt & pepper, set aside.
- Peel and slice your potatoes into ⅛ inch slices.
- Place slices into a large bowl, whisk or shake your butter mixture until it is emulsified (well combined), and pour over your potato slices (this is a great job for any little helper you have in your kitchen).
- Toss in ½ TBS of fresh Thyme.
- Using your fingers toss the potatoes and make sure each slice is coated.
- Assemble stacks, placing larger slices on the bottom, sthen maller on top of those on your baking sheet or in your muffin pan. About 8-10 slices a stack.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- While it's baking, make your maple butter by combining the melted butter and maple syrup. Shake well in a mason jar until emulsified.
- Spoon a bit over each stack and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until cooked through to your liking.
- You want the potatoes cooked through and very soft in the centers. Cooking time will vary by size and thickness of your slices.
- Just before they are finished top each stack with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Using a small metal spatula, gently transfer stacks to a cutting board or serving platter, spoon sauce over top and enjoy!
Notes
You can heat the maple butter just before spooning it overtop to serve, make sure it’s totally combined, shake it up.
The Maple Butter Sweet Potato Stacks usually stay in stacks if stacked well. Be gentle when pulling the pan out of the oven. I don't make them very tall. If one or two do tip over, no biggie, just use a small spatula and fork and slide it back into a stack.
A small metal spatula works best when moving these.
Noel says
What a perfect way to portion out servings! Making it easy for people to select just the right amount for their plate! I love the idea of maple with the sweet potatoes.
Deanna says
These look soooo yummy!!!!!!!!! I love the maple butter idea!!!
Pooja@poojascookery.com says
Really Very Tempting..I would love to try it out.
Kim @ Three Olives Branch says
They are so beautiful! Thanksgiving is definitely the best food holiday of the year, and I love finding new and creative recipes like this. Yum!
debi at Life Currents says
These look so good. I've made stacks with regular potatoes, but never sweet potatoes, and the addition of maple butter to these makes them sound divine!
Denisse | Le Petit Eats says
Such cute little sweet potato stacks, and the maple butter definitely makes it better!