gluten-free | dairy-free
These caramelized sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free—sweet potatoes baked, sliced, and pan-caramelized in brown sugar and dairy-free ‘butter’ until the edges go crunchy and candy-like. It’s Victoria’s grown-up answer to the canned-yam-and-marshmallow casserole of childhood: the same warm, sweet, caramelized payoff, minus the marshmallows. Make it easy on yourself and bake the potatoes the night before. Dairyful with butter.
I am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. Well, let me be clearer: I only eat sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, and only if they are made just like the recipe I am sharing. I really want to like sweet potatoes in more ways than I do, but I just have not found my path to get there.
When I was a kid, cans of yams (Bruce’s, I believe) were opened and emptied into a large casserole dish. Then the casserole was topped from edge to edge with puffy, sugary mini marshmallows, put in a 350-degree oven, and baked until the marshmallows turned a lovely golden brown. I would love to tell you that I ate the yams with the marshmallows, but the truth is I really just ate the marshmallows. Yes, I consumed a bit of sweet potato, but really, it was all about the caramelized pillows of sugary goodness.
I think that is why I love this recipe so much: childhood food memories. The marshmallows have been replaced with brown sugar, and the “buttery spread” has been added to give the sweet potatoes a savory element. Now I can actually eat the sweet potatoes AND get that childhood warm and fuzzy feeling, all at the same time, without consuming any marshmallows. Not that marshmallows are bad!
It’s probably one of the simpler holiday recipes you can make. The sweet potatoes are baked the night before and then refrigerated overnight. The next day, you slice the potatoes, put them in a skillet with brown sugar and “butter,” and enjoy.
Now, go eat something amazing!
Gluten-Free Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
The Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potato
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, use butter if you are not dairy free
The Process
- The sweet potatoes need to cooked the day before you finish them in the skillet.
Baking the Potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and wrap individually in foil. Bake in a 350 oven for 60 minutes or until cooked through and they give when you squeeze them. Let cool for about 30 minutes and then place in the fridge overnight.
Finishing the Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes with a peeler or small paring knife. Slice off and discard the pointy ends of each potato. Slice the rest of the sweet potatoes into 3/4 inch slices and place on a plate or small sheet pan.
- Heat and melt a generous amount of Earth Balance in a large skillet on medium-high. Sprinkle the pan with brown sugar. Add the first batch of sweet potato slices, be careful not to crowd the pan. Sprinkle with a generous amount of brown sugar. Turn up the heat slightly ensure the potatoes get that crunchy caramelization on the side facing down.
- After a few minutes, check the underside of the potatoes and if you see a golden color and some darker, crunchy bits, flip the potatoes and cook for about 1-2 minutes on the other side. Remove from pan and repeat the process until all your sweet potato slices are cooked.
- Enjoy!