Charred Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Olive Oil
Makes 8 servings
Typically I don’t care for my vegetables to be sweet. Although sweet potatoes are already sweet to begin with I don’t usually like making them sweeter. However, this recipe sounded intriguing and since we are grilling a lot these days I thought I would give it a try. It turns out that the flavor imposed by second grilling of the sweet potatoes with the addition of vinegar in the sauce offsets the additional sweetness of the honey. They made for a great accompaniment to the grilled chicken and salad we were having for dinner. This recipe comes from Bon Appetite and it recommends using Japanese sweet potatoes as they are starchier than yams, but I used the sweet potatoes I had on hand. I am pretty sure they were not the Japanese variety and they turned out just fine!
Ingredients
- 8 small or 4 large Japanese sweet potatoes (regular sweet potatoes can be substituted)
- 4 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
- Prepare a grill at medium-high heat.
- Rub sweet potatoes with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and wrap tightly in foil—you can wrap them on their own or put 2 in each packet.
- Grill, turning every 5 minutes or so, until tender, 30–45 minutes. (Or, steam in a basket set over a pot filled with 1″ of boiling water 30–35 minutes.)
- Unwrap and let cool slightly. If not using right away, let cool, then cover and chill until ready to grill—up to 2 days.
Meanwhile, bring honey, vinegar, and a big pinch of kosher salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high (you can do this on the grill if you want), reduce heat, and simmer until just beginning to thicken, about 4 minutes. Keep warm.
- Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.
- Rub cut surfaces with 1 Tablespoon oil total; season with kosher salt.
- Grill, cut side down, without turning, until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and brush with honey glaze.
Arrange sweet potatoes on a platter and drizzle with more glaze and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil.
Season with sea salt and pepper and enjoy!!