These are the most foodgasm-worthy potatoes I’ve ever tried.

No, really:  These.  Are.  The.  Best.  Potatoes.  EVER.

And they were sooooooooo easy to make!  I’d make them more often except that my kids are going through a sudden I-don’t-like-sweet-potato phase (sigh), so I’ll probably make them more for guests.  Although it does make me want to shout, “How can you NOT like something covered in sugar???” but my 3-year-old isn’t really into philosophical discussions unless they involve Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

But I digress.

The main point here is this:  you gotta try these!

And I didn’t come up with the idea all on my own.  I received a sample of something similar while shopping at Publix, but I decided that I wanted to change up their Sweet Potato Scoops a little.

Granted, I did like their idea of making them spicy, but I wanted to taste more of the sweetness.  Which means, not only did I cut out the curry powder they called for, I also cooked them longer, and with oil, to caramelize the bottoms.

Part of the genius behind these is the scoop.  Taking the center out of the potato allows the butter and seasoning to melt into the potato and stay contained within it.

(Oh – and you can save those little scoops to make yourself a small bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.  Even throw a little butter and sugar and cinnamon into that.)

Once on your plate, you’ll need to slice it into pieces with a knife, but I feel the crunchiness of the skins is such a nice balance to the creamy centers.  Plus you get to soak up all the extra cinnamon-y, buttery goodness that seeps out.  Um… yes, please!

And even if you scoop out a little too much from the slices, don’t worry.  You can see from the above photo that I accidentally went too deep on some of them, but that darkness you see at the bottom of the hole isn’t the pan – it’s the caramelization.  The thick, dark, softly crispy, naturally sugary, utterly addicting caramelized greatness.

You can see the butter melting so delectably in these photos.

And in case you were considering going easy on the sugar:  don’t.  Abandon your reserve:  coat those babies with flavor!

It’s only been a few days, but I can no longer remember what I ate these with.  I think it was steak.  All I know is that these potato slices were the indisputable star of the meal.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
6 Tbs butter, cubed
Olive oil
Cinnamon and Sugar Mix

Preheat oven to 475 F (240 C).

Slice sweet potatoes about 1 inch thick.

On a microwave-safe plate, microwave the slices on high for 5 minutes.

Cut a circle about halfway deep into the center of the slices with a melon baller or sharp spoon.  (If one side of the slice feels tough, try the other side, as the side touching the plate may be softer.)

Drizzle olive oil lightly over a baking sheet.  Lay potato slices indent-side up over olive oil.  Cover pan with foil.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender.

When potatoes are done baking, immediately place butter pieces into indents on potato slices and generously sprinkle with the Cinnamon and Sugar Mix.  Serve warm.

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Enjoy!  And please let me know if you try these!!